Bats, Pathogen Diversity and Rabies in a Changing Neotropic Landscape

Bats are recognized as a key group in the maintenance of ecological systems by providing ecological services. Additionally, bats are excellent bioindicators of environmental changes. Bats are also known to be reservoirs of many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. We synthesized current information regarding pathogen ecology in Neotropical bat species. The best-studied pathogen groups in the Neotropics were viruses (Rhabdoviridae and Coronaviridae), helminths (Nematoda and Platyhelminthes), and bacteria (Leptospira and Bartonella), and they were studied primarily in Brazil, Argentina, México, Peru, and Colombia, as well as the Phyollostomidae bat family. We analyzed whether investments in research and development explained the diversity of reported pathogens and observed that the region has a low economic investment in pathogen surveillance and delays in characterizing bat-borne pathogens. In the Neotropics, the expansion of agriculture and urbanization has simultaneously altered ecosystem structure and function, community structure, species assemblages, and patterns of species distribution, consequently favoring an increase in pathogen prevalence and presence. The importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the rabies virus, particularly Desmodus rotundus, is discussed. Therefore, conservation and education programs are essential for preventing future spillovers of bat-borne diseases to humans and livestock and for protecting this important functional taxonomic group.