Bats are increasingly being recognized as important hosts for viruses, some of which are zoonotic and carry the potential for spillover within human and livestock populations. Biosurveillance studies focused on assessing the risk of pathogen transmission, however, have largely focused on the virological component and have not always considered the ecological implications of different species as viral hosts. The movements of known viral hosts are an important component for disease risk assessments as they can potentially identify regions of higher risk of contact and spillover. As such, this study aimed to synthesize data from both virological and ecological fields to provide a more holistic assessment of the risk of pathogen transmission from bats to people. Using radiotelemetry, we tracked the small-scale movements of Rousettus aegyptiacus, a species of bat known to host Marburg virus and other viruses with zoonotic potential, in a rural settlement in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The tracked bats exhibited seasonal variations in their movement patterns including variable usage of residential areas which could translate to contact between bats and humans and may facilitate spillover. We identified a trend for increased usage of residential areas during the winter months with July specifically experiencing the highest levels of bat activity within residential areas. July has previously been identified as a key period for increased spillover risk for viruses associated with R. aegyptiacus from this colony and paired with the increased activity levels, illustrates the risk for spillover to human populations. This study emphasizes the importance of incorporating ecological data such as movement patterns with virological data to provide a better understanding of the risk of pathogen spillover and transmission.

中文翻译：

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马尔堡病毒储存库埃及白蚁在季节性梯度上的小规模移动变化

蝙蝠越来越被认为是病毒的重要宿主，其中一些病毒是人畜共患的，有可能在人类和牲畜群体中传播。然而，生物监测研究的重点是评估病原体传播的风险，但主要集中在病毒学成分上，并不总是考虑不同物种作为病毒宿主的生态影响。已知病毒宿主的移动是疾病风险评估的重要组成部分，因为它们可以潜在地识别接触和溢出风险较高的区域。因此，这项研究旨在综合病毒学和生态领域的数据，以更全面地评估病原体从蝙蝠传播给人类的风险。使用无线电遥测技术，我们追踪了南非林波波省农村定居点中埃及红蝠的小规模活动。埃及红蝠是一种已知携带马尔堡病毒和其他具有人畜共患潜力的病毒的蝙蝠。被追踪的蝙蝠的运动模式表现出季节性变化，包括居住区的不同使用情况，这可能会转化为蝙蝠和人类之间的接触，并可能促进溢出。我们发现了冬季住宅区使用量增加的趋势，其中 7 月份住宅区蝙蝠活动尤其频繁。此前，7 月已被确定为该菌落中与埃及拉氏菌相关的病毒外溢风险增加的关键时期，再加上活动水平的增加，说明了向人群外溢的风险。这项研究强调了将运动模式等生态数据与病毒学数据相结合的重要性，以更好地了解病原体溢出和传播的风险。