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Title: Climate change linked to vampire bat expansion and rabies virus spillover
Bat‐borne pathogens are a threat to global health and in recent history have had major impacts on human morbidity and mortality. Examples include diseases such as rabies, Nipah virus encephalitis, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Climate change may exacerbate the emergence of bat‐borne pathogens by affecting the ecology of bats in tropical ecosystems. Here, we report the impacts of climate change on the distributional ecology of the common vampire batDesmodus rotundusacross the last century. Our retrospective analysis revealed a positive relationship between changes in climate and the northern expansion of the distribution ofD. rotundusin North America. Furthermore, we also found a reduction in the standard deviation of temperatures atD. rotunduscapture locations during the last century, expressed as more consistent, less‐seasonal climate in recent years. These results elucidate an association betweenD. rotundusrange expansion and a continental‐level rise in rabies virus spillover transmission fromD. rotundusto cattle in the last 50 years of the 120‐year study period. This correlative study, based on field observations, offers empirical evidence supporting previous statistical and mathematical simulation‐based studies reporting a likely increase of bat‐borne diseases in response to climate change. We conclude that theD. rotundusrabies system exemplifies the consequences of climate change augmentation at the wildlife–livestock–human interface, demonstrating how global change acts upon these complex and interconnected systems to drive increased disease emergence.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2235295 2116748
PAR ID:
10516856
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
OIKOS
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Ecography
ISSN:
0906-7590
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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