Mating strategy is determinant of Adenovirus prevalence in European bats

Abstract

Adenoviruses are double-strained DNA viruses found in a great number of vertebrates, including humans. In order to understand their transmission dynamics, it is crucial, even from a human health perspective, to investigate how host traits influence their prevalence. Bats are important reservoirs for Adenoviruses, and here we use the results of recent screenings in Western Europe to evaluate the association between characteristic traits of bat species and their probability of hosting Adenoviruses, taking into account their phylogenetic relationships. Across species, we found an important phylogenetic component in the presence of Adenoviruses and mating strategy as the most determinant factor conditioning the prevalence of Adenoviruses across bat species. Contrary to other more stable mating strategies (e.g. harems), swarming could hinder transmission of Adenoviruses since this strategy implies that contacts between individuals are too short. Alternatively, bat species with more promiscuous behavior may develop a stronger immune system. Outstandingly high prevalence of Adenoviruses was reported for the Iberian species Pipistrellus pygmaeus, P. kuhlii and Nyctalus lasiopterus and we found that in the latter, males were more likely to be infected by Adenoviruses than females, due to the immunosuppressing consequence of testosterone during the mating season. As a general trend across species, we found that the number of Adenoviruses positive individuals was different across localities and that the difference in prevalence between populations was correlated with their geographic distances (P. pygmaeus). These results increase our knowledge about the transmission mechanisms of Adenoviruses.\n\nAuthor SummaryAdenoviruses are DNA viruses with a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans, causing ocular, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. Here, we focus on the prevalence of Adenoviruses in bats, which are known to be natural reservoir of many viruses, using the results of recent screenings for prevalence of these viruses in 33 European bat species. Our aim is to find association between Adenoviruses prevalence and biological and behavioral host traits, considering the heterogeneity both between and within species in order to have a deeper understanding of mechanisms of viral transmission.\n\nOur results highlight the importance of mating strategy: bats species using swarming as mating strategy are less likely to be infected by Adenoviruses. Moreover, we found that locality of capture can explain a higher prevalence of Adenovirus within species. However, no general pattern has been found in the analysis at individual level, suggesting a strong species specificity and complex viral transmission dynamics.