Molecular investigation of coronavirus and Leptospira spp. in bats (Chiroptera, Mammalia) from Brazil

Abstract

Abstract The emergence of zoonotic diseases highlights the need for continuous surveillance of wildlife, particularly bats, known as natural reservoirs of several pathogens. This study aimed to investigate the presence of coronaviruses (CoV) and Leptospira spp. in non-hematophagous bats from the northwestern region of São Paulo State, Brazil, between 2019 and 2024. Samples of intestine and kidney from 98 specimens from 18 species belonging to three families (Molossidae, Phyllostomidae, and Vespertilionidae) were collected in 8 municipalities of the Araçatuba Intermediate Geographic Region. Coronaviruses detection was performed by pan-CoV nested RT-PCR, targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene. Investigation of Leptospira spp. was conducted by real-time PCR, aiming the amplification of a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene. The analyses yielded no amplification in any of the 97 intestinal and 94 renal samples. These negative results should not be interpreted as evidence of pathogen absence in the regional bat fauna, given the geographic concentration of sampling and the under-representation of Phyllostomidae, the most frequently family associated with CoV circulation in Brazil. Continuous surveillance, integrated with comprehensive and standardized sampling in this under-studied region, remains essential for the early detection of emerging zoonotic pathogens and for characterizing local host-pathogen ecology.