Virus transmission among Canadian bats

随着分子检测和病理基因组学的发展，我们对病毒生态学的理解得到了极大的扩展。尽管这些方法产生的大量描述性工作为病毒种群的多样性和复杂性提供了有价值的见解，但病毒生态学和生态位连通性仍然相对未被探索。蝙蝠是研究最多的野生哺乳动物病毒宿主/栖息地之一。然而，重要的病毒生态位动态仍未被描述。我们对加拿大蝙蝠中病毒的了解也有很大的差距。冠状病毒是一组高度多样化的病毒，在广泛的地理区域感染许多蝙蝠物种。冠状病毒可感染加拿大本土物种褐斑夜蛾（Eptesicus fuscus），也可在加拿大lucifugus身上发现。我们已经建立了一个研究项目，重点研究呼吸道病毒在临床、农业和实验环境中的传播。我们的长期目标集中在以下关于病毒在动物宿主之间传播动力学和生态学的基本问题上：

Our understanding of viral ecology has expanded significantly with molecular detection and pathogenomics. Although the largely descriptive body of work generated by these approaches provides valuable insights into the diversity and complexity of viral populations, viral ecology and niche connectivity remain relatively unexplored. Bats are among the most studied mammalian viral hosts/habitats in the wild. Yet, important virus niche dynamics remain uncharacterized. There are also substantial gaps in what we know about viruses among Canadian bats. Coronaviruses are a highly diverse group of viruses infecting numerous bat species in broad geographic areas. Coronaviruses infect Eptesicus fuscus, a species indigenous to Canada, and have also been detected in Canadian Myotis lucifugus. We have established a research program focused on the transmission of respiratory viruses in clinical, agricultural and experimental settings. Our long-term aims focus on the following fundamental questions on virus transmission dynamics and ecology among animal hosts: 1. What are the basic epidemiological features of viral activity in specific hosts? 2. What are the principle modes of viral transmission and their covariates? 3. What is the breadth and distribution of genetic diversity for endemic viruses? Our short term objectives focus on coronaviruses and viral ecology in Canadian bats. Objective 1: Characterization of the ecology and epidemiology of coronaviruses (CoV) among Canadian bats. We will take a novel quasi-experimental approach using a nonlethal, comprehensive sampling approach of E. fuscus in the McMaster captive research colony to identify host and viral factors affecting variation in shedding and transmission of bat coronaviruses at a fine spatial scale. We will also sample E. fuscus from roosts in southern Ontario to determine the prevalence of CoV among wild temperate bats. Objective 2: Determining the mechanism(s) and dynamics of CoV transmission among Canadian bats. We will perform environmental sampling to delineate the relative contributions of direct contact, fomites, bioaerosols and ectoparasites to CoV transmission, and identify the factors influencing these contributions. Objective 3: Pathogenomic analysis of viral populations among Canadian bats. To obtain a holistic perspective of virus activity in Canadian bats, we will characterize the viromes from Canadian bats to determine the breadth and diversity of virus populations they harbour. We will also sequence the whole genomes of CoVs detected from these samples to determine their genotype, relatedness, and diversity. Trainees will amass skills in field studies, pathogen detection, genomics, ecology and epidemiology. This program will enable HQP to develop the necessary skills and expertise required to make important contributions to the field of RNA virus transmission among mammalian hosts.