Eco-epidemiology of the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus in bats of Córdoba and Sucre, Colombia

Abstract

Objective: To study the eco-epidemiology of alphaviruses in bats of departments of Córdoba and Sucre, Colombia. Methodology: A prospective descriptive cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic sampling, in 12 localities of Córdoba and Sucre was carried out. Using mist nets capture of the specimens was carried out. The size of the sample was 286 bats, each specimen captured was taxonomically classified. The bats were immobilized with anesthetic and analgesic treatment according to the ethics committee of the University of Córdoba, morphometric measurements and blood samples were taken, later they were necropsied in the field to obtain a collection of tissues which were preserved in liquid N 2 −190°C. The averages of the climatic conditions of the sampling sites were extracted from the WorldClim database (http://www.worldclim.org/). The open source software QGIS (Quantum GIS Development Team.2015) was used to map and visualize bioclimatic regions of Córdoba. We used descriptive and retrospective information about the equine population and reports of foci of equine encephalitis. Results: In Córdoba and Sucre, 286 bats were captured and 23 species were classified, Artibeus and Phyllostomus discolor were the most frequent captured genus. The geographic ranges of the captured species were variable, some had a wide distribution and others were restricted to some areas. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus RNA was detected in Artibeus planirostris and Sturnira lilium (2/286 = 0.70%) from Cordoba -Colombia. The univariate descriptive analysis showed no significant association for any of the analyzed variables climatic. Conclusions: Frugivorous bats from the Caribbean area of Colombia may be involved in the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus enzootic cycle.

Bats in ecosystems and their Wide spectrum of viral infectious potential threats: SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses

“…Another investigation carried out in the departments of Sucre and Córdoba managed to capture and classify 286 bats into 23 species, finding EEV RNA in bats from the species Artibeus planirostris and Sturnira lilium ( Table 3 ). These findings suggest that fruit bats from the Caribbean region in Colombia could be involved in the enzootic cycle of EEV ( Guzman et al, 2019 ) ( Figure 1 ).…”

“…These arboviruses are very limited to climatic conditions and their dissemination depends entirely on the geographical distribution of their vectors, hosts and reservoirs. Some studies claim that bats of the genus Desmodus rotundus are the most susceptible to contracting EEV ( Guzman et al, 2019 , Guzman et al, 2020 ).…”

An Environmental Niche Model to Estimate the Potential Presence of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus in Costa Rica

“…One of the most important members of this genus in the Americas is the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) [ 1 ]. VEEV is transmitted by arthropods, mainly mosquitoes [ 2 , 3 ], and can infect not only equines but also different species, including humans [ 4 , 5 ]. There are three fundamental factors that keep arboviruses circulating and producing outbreaks in a given geographic area: virus, vectors, and the host-reservoirs.…”

Mosquito-vertebrate Interaction Networks in the Magdalena Medio Region of Colombia

“…Using morphology and molecular analyses, we could identify 11 mosquito species previously involved in arbovirus transmission, out of 20 species of mosquitoes collected [15] [16] [17], with the greatest number of species belonging to the Culex genus (six species). Species in the genus Culex, especially those belonging to the Melanoconion subgenus, are recognized as a highly diverse group with great taxonomic di culties [18], due to morphological similarity and the lack of recent taxonomic revisions of the Melanoconion subgenus [19][20].…”

“…In Colombia, many pathogenic arboviruses are enzootic/endemic with many mosquito species potentially involved as vectors [15] [16] [17]. However, data from ecological studies on host selection by those mosquitoes of medical importance are scarce [6].…”