Hoffmeister, U. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

Detection and characterisation of alpha- and betacoronaviruses in rodents and bats from Germany, France, Belgium and Ireland

Recent zoonotic coronavirus outbreaks have sparked an interest in understanding coronaviruses circulating in animal reservoirs. While bats are recognised as major reservoirs for these viruses, coronaviruses have also been detected in a wide range of terrestrial small mammals, particularly rodents. However, coronavirus diversity in these mammals, specifically in Europe, is still poorly characterised. In this study, we detected and characterised coronaviruses in terrestrial small mammals and bats from Belgium, France, Germany, and Ireland. We screened tissue samples from rodents and shrews and environmental bat guano using pan-coronavirus real-time and conventional PCRs, with positive results confirmed by sanger sequencing. Among 2667 bat and 1152 terrestrial mammal samples, we detected 59 positive samples, 36 from bats and 23 from rodents, from which we recovered 60 coronavirus sequences, spanning both Alphacoronavirus and Betacoronavirus lineages. Through next generation sequencing we identified one Pipistrellus pygmaeus bat guano sample carrying two distinct alphacoronaviruses, representing Nyctacovirus and Pedacovirus subgenera. Among rodents, most coronavirus-positive samples originated from a zoo in Belgium, where several CoV lineages co-circulated. The identified rodent coronaviruses clustered among previously described rodent-associated lineages, some of which also include human and other mammal-derived coronavirus sequences. Consistent with previous studies, we found sarbecoviruses in horseshoe bats (particularly Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and R. hipposideros) and merbecoviruses in Plecotus auritus bats, and these viruses are distantly related to the human coronaviruses of the respective families. Similar to bat coronaviruses, some rodent coronaviruses strains seemed to be association with specific rodent species. In conclusion, our study enhances the understanding of coronaviruses in rodents and bats, revealing potential hotspots for these viruses and their implication for human and animal health. These findings underscore the necessity for continued surveillance of coronaviruses in wildlife reservoirs to mitigate future zoonotic spillover risks.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Migration strategy varies with novel environment response in common noctule bats

Global ecosystems are changing dramatically due to land transformation and climate change. Global change is a particular challenge for migratory animals that rely on multiple stepping stones on their journeys. Migratory animals have a range of strategies to accomplish this, but not all of these strategies may be appropriate for the challenges ahead. Understanding the variation in migratory strategies and their behavioural correlates is therefore critical to understand how vulnerable species will be in the future, especially in endangered and elusive taxa such as bats. Here, we combined isotopic geolocation with an in-situ behavioural assay to investigate whether behavioural responses to a roost-like novel environment correlated with variation in migration strategies (local or distant origin based on isotopic geographic assignments), in the partially migratory bat, Nyctalus noctula. We quantified emergence behaviour, spatial activity, and echolocation call activity. Local bats were more likely to emerge into the novel environment than bats from more distant origins. However, local and distant bats did not differ in spatial activity and acoustic exploration (relative call activity per space unit). Our findings indicate that local bats may more pro-actively cope with novelty, but that acoustic exploration is equally important for local and migratory bats during explorations.

animal behavior and cognition↗