Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of sars-cov-2 to free-ranging wildlife: A case study of bats

Kevin J. Olival; Paul M. Cryan; Brian R. Amman; Ralph S. Baric; David S. Blehert; Cara E. Brook; Charles H. Calisher; Kevin T. Castle; Jeremy T.H. Coleman; Peter Daszak; Jonathan H. Epstein; Hume Field; Winifred F. Frick; Amy T. Gilbert; David T.S. Hayman; Hon S. Ip; William B. Karesh; Christine K. Johnson; Rebekah C. Kading; Tigga Kingston; Jeffrey M. Lorch; Ian H. Mendenhall; Alison J. Peel; Kendra L. Phelps; Raina K. Plowright; Dee Ann M. Reeder; Jonathan D. Reichard; Jonathan M. Sleeman; Daniel G. Streicker; Jonathan S. Towner; Lin Fa Wang

doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1008758

Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of sars-cov-2 to free-ranging wildlife: A case study of bats

Kevin J. Olival, Paul M. Cryan, Brian R. Amman, Ralph S. Baric, David S. Blehert, Cara E. Brook, Charles H. Calisher, Kevin T. Castle, Jeremy T.H. Coleman, Peter Daszak, Jonathan H. Epstein, Hume Field, Winifred F. Frick, Amy T. Gilbert, David T.S. Hayman, Hon S. Ip, William B. Karesh, Christine K. Johnson, Rebekah C. Kading, Tigga KingstonJeffrey M. Lorch, Ian H. Mendenhall, Alison J. Peel, Kendra L. Phelps, Raina K. Plowright, Dee Ann M. Reeder, Jonathan D. Reichard, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Daniel G. Streicker, Jonathan S. Towner, Lin Fa Wang

Biological Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

108 Scopus citations

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the substantial public health, economic, and societal consequences of virus spillover from a wildlife reservoir. Widespread human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also presents a new set of challenges when considering viral spillover from people to naïve wildlife and other animal populations. The establishment of new wildlife reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2 would further complicate public health control measures and could lead to wildlife health and conservation impacts. Given the likely bat origin of SARS-CoV-2 and related beta-coronaviruses (β-CoVs), free-ranging bats are a key group of concern for spillover from humans back to wildlife. Here, we review the diversity and natural host range of β-CoVs in bats and examine the risk of humans inadvertently infecting free-ranging bats with SARS-CoV-2. Our review of the global distribution and host range of β-CoV evolutionary lineages suggests that 40+ species of temperate-zone North American bats could be immunologically naïve and susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2. We highlight an urgent need to proactively connect the wellbeing of human and wildlife health during the current pandemic and to implement new tools to continue wildlife research while avoiding potentially severe health and conservation impacts of SARS-CoV-2 "spilling back" into free-ranging bat populations.

Original language	English
Article number	e1008758
Journal	PLoS Pathogens
Volume	16
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008758
State	Published - Sep 2020

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Olival, K. J., Cryan, P. M., Amman, B. R., Baric, R. S., Blehert, D. S., Brook, C. E., Calisher, C. H., Castle, K. T., Coleman, J. T. H., Daszak, P., Epstein, J. H., Field, H., Frick, W. F., Gilbert, A. T., Hayman, D. T. S., Ip, H. S., Karesh, W. B., Johnson, C. K., Kading, R. C., ... Wang, L. F. (2020). Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of sars-cov-2 to free-ranging wildlife: A case study of bats. PLoS Pathogens, 16(9), Article e1008758. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008758

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title = "Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of sars-cov-2 to free-ranging wildlife: A case study of bats",

abstract = "The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the substantial public health, economic, and societal consequences of virus spillover from a wildlife reservoir. Widespread human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also presents a new set of challenges when considering viral spillover from people to na{\"i}ve wildlife and other animal populations. The establishment of new wildlife reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2 would further complicate public health control measures and could lead to wildlife health and conservation impacts. Given the likely bat origin of SARS-CoV-2 and related beta-coronaviruses (β-CoVs), free-ranging bats are a key group of concern for spillover from humans back to wildlife. Here, we review the diversity and natural host range of β-CoVs in bats and examine the risk of humans inadvertently infecting free-ranging bats with SARS-CoV-2. Our review of the global distribution and host range of β-CoV evolutionary lineages suggests that 40+ species of temperate-zone North American bats could be immunologically na{\"i}ve and susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2. We highlight an urgent need to proactively connect the wellbeing of human and wildlife health during the current pandemic and to implement new tools to continue wildlife research while avoiding potentially severe health and conservation impacts of SARS-CoV-2 {"}spilling back{"} into free-ranging bat populations.",

author = "Olival, {Kevin J.} and Cryan, {Paul M.} and Amman, {Brian R.} and Baric, {Ralph S.} and Blehert, {David S.} and Brook, {Cara E.} and Calisher, {Charles H.} and Castle, {Kevin T.} and Coleman, {Jeremy T.H.} and Peter Daszak and Epstein, {Jonathan H.} and Hume Field and Frick, {Winifred F.} and Gilbert, {Amy T.} and Hayman, {David T.S.} and Ip, {Hon S.} and Karesh, {William B.} and Johnson, {Christine K.} and Kading, {Rebekah C.} and Tigga Kingston and Lorch, {Jeffrey M.} and Mendenhall, {Ian H.} and Peel, {Alison J.} and Phelps, {Kendra L.} and Plowright, {Raina K.} and Reeder, {Dee Ann M.} and Reichard, {Jonathan D.} and Sleeman, {Jonathan M.} and Streicker, {Daniel G.} and Towner, {Jonathan S.} and Wang, {Lin Fa}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.",

year = "2020",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1371/journal.ppat.1008758",

language = "English",

volume = "16",

journal = "PLoS Pathogens",

issn = "1553-7366",

publisher = "PLoS pathogens",

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Olival, KJ, Cryan, PM, Amman, BR, Baric, RS, Blehert, DS, Brook, CE, Calisher, CH, Castle, KT, Coleman, JTH, Daszak, P, Epstein, JH, Field, H, Frick, WF, Gilbert, AT, Hayman, DTS, Ip, HS, Karesh, WB, Johnson, CK, Kading, RC, Kingston, T, Lorch, JM, Mendenhall, IH, Peel, AJ, Phelps, KL, Plowright, RK, Reeder, DAM, Reichard, JD, Sleeman, JM, Streicker, DG, Towner, JS & Wang, LF 2020, 'Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of sars-cov-2 to free-ranging wildlife: A case study of bats', PLoS Pathogens, vol. 16, no. 9, e1008758. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008758

TY - JOUR

T1 - Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of sars-cov-2 to free-ranging wildlife

T2 - A case study of bats

AU - Olival, Kevin J.

AU - Cryan, Paul M.

AU - Amman, Brian R.

AU - Baric, Ralph S.

AU - Blehert, David S.

AU - Brook, Cara E.

AU - Calisher, Charles H.

AU - Castle, Kevin T.

AU - Coleman, Jeremy T.H.

AU - Daszak, Peter

AU - Epstein, Jonathan H.

AU - Field, Hume

AU - Frick, Winifred F.

AU - Gilbert, Amy T.

AU - Hayman, David T.S.

AU - Ip, Hon S.

AU - Karesh, William B.

AU - Johnson, Christine K.

AU - Kading, Rebekah C.

AU - Kingston, Tigga

AU - Lorch, Jeffrey M.

AU - Mendenhall, Ian H.

AU - Peel, Alison J.

AU - Phelps, Kendra L.

AU - Plowright, Raina K.

AU - Reeder, Dee Ann M.

AU - Reichard, Jonathan D.

AU - Sleeman, Jonathan M.

AU - Streicker, Daniel G.

AU - Towner, Jonathan S.

AU - Wang, Lin Fa

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.

PY - 2020/9

Y1 - 2020/9

N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the substantial public health, economic, and societal consequences of virus spillover from a wildlife reservoir. Widespread human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also presents a new set of challenges when considering viral spillover from people to naïve wildlife and other animal populations. The establishment of new wildlife reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2 would further complicate public health control measures and could lead to wildlife health and conservation impacts. Given the likely bat origin of SARS-CoV-2 and related beta-coronaviruses (β-CoVs), free-ranging bats are a key group of concern for spillover from humans back to wildlife. Here, we review the diversity and natural host range of β-CoVs in bats and examine the risk of humans inadvertently infecting free-ranging bats with SARS-CoV-2. Our review of the global distribution and host range of β-CoV evolutionary lineages suggests that 40+ species of temperate-zone North American bats could be immunologically naïve and susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2. We highlight an urgent need to proactively connect the wellbeing of human and wildlife health during the current pandemic and to implement new tools to continue wildlife research while avoiding potentially severe health and conservation impacts of SARS-CoV-2 "spilling back" into free-ranging bat populations.

AB - The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the substantial public health, economic, and societal consequences of virus spillover from a wildlife reservoir. Widespread human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also presents a new set of challenges when considering viral spillover from people to naïve wildlife and other animal populations. The establishment of new wildlife reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2 would further complicate public health control measures and could lead to wildlife health and conservation impacts. Given the likely bat origin of SARS-CoV-2 and related beta-coronaviruses (β-CoVs), free-ranging bats are a key group of concern for spillover from humans back to wildlife. Here, we review the diversity and natural host range of β-CoVs in bats and examine the risk of humans inadvertently infecting free-ranging bats with SARS-CoV-2. Our review of the global distribution and host range of β-CoV evolutionary lineages suggests that 40+ species of temperate-zone North American bats could be immunologically naïve and susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2. We highlight an urgent need to proactively connect the wellbeing of human and wildlife health during the current pandemic and to implement new tools to continue wildlife research while avoiding potentially severe health and conservation impacts of SARS-CoV-2 "spilling back" into free-ranging bat populations.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85089979098&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008758

DO - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008758

M3 - Review article

C2 - 32881980

AN - SCOPUS:85089979098

SN - 1553-7366

VL - 16

JO - PLoS Pathogens

JF - PLoS Pathogens

IS - 9

M1 - e1008758

ER -

Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of sars-cov-2 to free-ranging wildlife: A case study of bats

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