@article{d1da6a6c577941d6bd6294c6fb2b6c7b,
title = "Serological evidence of a pararubulavirus and a betacoronavirus in the geographically isolated Christmas Island flying-fox (Pteropus natalis)",
abstract = "Due to their geographical isolation and small populations, insular bats may not be able to maintain acute immunizing viruses that rely on a large population for viral maintenance. Instead, endemic transmission may rely on viruses establishing persistent infections within hosts or inducing only short-lived neutralizing immunity. Therefore, studies on insular populations are valuable for developing broader understanding of viral maintenance in bats. The Christmas Island flying-fox (CIFF; Pteropus natalis) is endemic on Christmas Island, a remote Australian territory, and is an ideal model species to understand viral maintenance in small, geographically isolated bat populations. Serum or plasma (n = 190), oral swabs (n = 199), faeces (n = 31), urine (n = 32) and urine swabs (n = 25) were collected from 228 CIFFs. Samples were tested using multiplex serological and molecular assays, and attempts at virus isolation to determine the presence of paramyxoviruses, betacoronaviruses and Australian bat lyssavirus. Analysis of serological data provides evidence that the species is maintaining a pararubulavirus and a betacoronavirus. There was little serological evidence supporting the presence of active circulation of the other viruses assessed in the present study. No viral nucleic acid was detected and no viruses were isolated. Age-seropositivity results support the hypothesis that geographically isolated bat populations can maintain some paramyxoviruses and coronaviruses. Further studies are required to elucidate infection dynamics and characterize viruses in the CIFF. Lastly, apparent absence of some pathogens could have implications for the conservation of the CIFF if a novel disease were introduced into the population through human carriage or an invasive species. Adopting increased biosecurity protocols for ships porting on Christmas Island and for researchers and bat carers working with flying-foxes are recommended to decrease the risk of pathogen introduction and contribute to the health and conservation of the species.",
keywords = "Pteropodidae, bat, betacoronavirus, insular populations, pararubulavirus, viral maintenance",
author = "Pulscher, {Laura A.} and Peel, {Alison J.} and Karrie Rose and Welbergen, {Justin A.} and Baker, {Michelle L.} and Victoria Boyd and Samantha Low-Choy and Dan Edson and Christopher Todd and Annabel Dorrestein and Jane Hall and Shawn Todd and Broder, {Christopher C.} and Lianying Yan and Kai Xu and Peck, {Grantley R.} and Phalen, {David N.}",
note = "Funding Information: We are grateful for the help of Ari Ananda, Hannah Carson, Georgie Custance, Bryony Hitchcock, Dr. John Martin, Varsha Raj and Dr. David Westcott who assisted with the capture of and sample collection from Christmas Island flying-foxes. Thank you to Dr. Peter Johnson who provided logistical support for the transfer of samples from Taronga Zoo to the CSIRO ACDP. We acknowledge Dr. Douglas Kerlin who provided helpful guidance on the statistical analysis for this project. Thank you to Dr. Eric Laing for providing a critical review of this manuscript. Lastly, thank you to Christmas Island National Park staff who provided logistical support for this project. The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Uniformed Services University or the Department of Defense, or the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. This research was supported by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, a University of Sydney Marie Bashir Institute Zoonoses Seed Funding Grant, the Taronga Conservation Society Australia's Taronga Foundation, the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, the University of Sydney, and Christmas Island National Park. AJP was supported by an ARC DECRA fellowship (DE190100710). CCB is supported by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant AI142764. Open access publishing facilitated by The University of Sydney, as part of the Wiley - The University of Sydney agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians. Funding Information: We are grateful for the help of Ari Ananda, Hannah Carson, Georgie Custance, Bryony Hitchcock, Dr. John Martin, Varsha Raj and Dr. David Westcott who assisted with the capture of and sample collection from Christmas Island flying‐foxes. Thank you to Dr. Peter Johnson who provided logistical support for the transfer of samples from Taronga Zoo to the CSIRO ACDP. We acknowledge Dr. Douglas Kerlin who provided helpful guidance on the statistical analysis for this project. Thank you to Dr. Eric Laing for providing a critical review of this manuscript. Lastly, thank you to Christmas Island National Park staff who provided logistical support for this project. The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Uniformed Services University or the Department of Defense, or the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. This research was supported by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, a University of Sydney Marie Bashir Institute Zoonoses Seed Funding Grant, the Taronga Conservation Society Australia's Taronga Foundation, the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, the University of Sydney, and Christmas Island National Park. AJP was supported by an ARC DECRA fellowship (DE190100710). CCB is supported by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant AI142764. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.",
year = "2022",
month = sep,
doi = "10.1111/tbed.14579",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "69",
pages = "e2366--e2377",
journal = "Transboundary and Emerging Diseases",
issn = "1865-1674",
number = "5",
}