Evaluation of bat adenoviruses suggests co-evolution and host roosting behaviour as drivers for diversity

Abstract

Adenoviruses (AdVs) are diverse pathogens of humans and animals, with several dozen bat AdVs already identified. Considering that over 100 human AdVs are known, and the huge diversity of bat species, many bat AdVs likely remain undiscovered. To learn more about AdV prevalence, diversity and evolution, we sampled and tested bats in Cameroon using several PCR assays for viral and host DNA. AdV DNA was detected in 14 % of the 671 sampled animals belonging to 37 different bat species. There was a correlation between species roosting in larger groups and AdV DNA detection. The detected AdV DNA belonged to between 28 and 44 different, mostly previously unknown, mastadenovirus species. The novel isolates are phylogenetically diverse and while some cluster with known viruses, others appear to form divergent new clusters. The phylogenetic tree of novel and previously known bat AdVs does not mirror that of the various host species, but does contain structures consistent with a degree of virus–host co-evolution. Given that closely related isolates were found in different host species, it seems likely that at least some bat AdVs have jumped species barriers, probably in the more recent past; however, the tree is also consistent with such events having taken place throughout bat AdV evolution. AdV diversity was highest in bat species roosting in large groups. The study significantly increased the diversity of AdVs known to be harboured by bats, and suggests that host behaviours, such as roosting size, may be what limits some AdVs to one species rather than an inability of AdVs to infect other related hosts.

Divergent Viruses Discovered in Swine Alter the Understanding of Evolutionary History and Genetic Diversity of the Respirovirus Genus and Related Porcine Parainfluenza Viruses

“…Notably, their analysis was based on the consistency between the host and the virus evolutionary tree topologies. We employed similar consistency-based methods that compared the topological structures of the host and virus evolutionary trees to further test for co-evolution ( 41 – 44 ). The results of the Global test achieved with Parafit and PACo software showed no evidence of co-evolution between the viruses of Respirovirus genus and their hosts (ParaFitGlobal = 6.099, P -value = 0.307; m 2 global value = 3.023, P -value = 0.118; where P -value < 0.05, indicates a significant coevolving relationship).…”

Roost selection by synanthropic bats in rural Kenya: implications for human–wildlife conflict and zoonotic pathogen spillover

“…We observed numerous cases of roost sharing by multiple bat species. While roost use by multiple species is not uncommon in bats, large multi-species aggregations may play an important role in viral evolution and diversity within bat populations [54][55][56][57][58]. Currently, bat species documented to roost in multi-species assemblages have largely been described to co-roost with 2-3 other bat species [59,60].…”

Roost selection by synanthropic bats in rural Kenya: implications for human-wildlife conflict and zoonotic pathogen spillover

“…We observed numerous cases of roost sharing by multiple bat species. While roost use by multiple species is not uncommon in bats, these large multi-species aggregations may play an important role in viral evolution and diversity within bat populations (Luis et al 2013, Furey et al 2016, Willoughby et al 2017, Ntumvi et al 2021. Currently, other bat species documented to roost in multi-species assemblages have largely been described to co-roost with 2-3 other bat species (Arita 1993, Geiselman & Younger 2020, Salinas-Ramos et al 2020.…”

“…We found that M. pumilus roosted with at least six other bat species in anthropogenic roosts, indicating high potential for interactions with other bat species. Mops pumilus is known to host a high diversity of viruses, including coronaviruses, flaviviruses, adenoviruses, and potentially filoviruses (Kading et al 2015, Goldstein et al 2018, Nziza et al 2020, Ntumvi et al 2021. Several of these viral families have high potential for recombination, meaning that these diverse roosts may facilitate viral evolution in anthropogenic environments (Chan et al 2013).…”