Gut Microbiota of Bats: Pro-mutagenic Properties and Possible Frontiers in Preventing Emerging Disease

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2021 Oct 27

PMID 34702917

Citations 11

Authors

Igor V Popov

Maria S Mazanko

Elizaveta D Kulaeva

Sergey N Golovin

Aleksey V Malinovkin

Iraida S Aleshukina

Anna V Aleshukina

Evgeniya V Prazdnova

Tatiana I Tverdokhlebova

Michael L Chikindas

Alexey M Ermakov

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Bats are potential natural reservoirs for emerging viruses, causing deadly human diseases, such as COVID-19, MERS, SARS, Nipah, Hendra, and Ebola infections. The fundamental mechanisms by which bats are considered "living bioreactors" for emerging viruses are not fully understood. Some studies suggest that tolerance to viruses is linked to suppressing antiviral immune and inflammatory responses due to DNA damage by energy generated to fly. Our study reveals that bats' gut bacteria could also be involved in the host and its microbiota's DNA damage. We performed screening of lactic acid bacteria and bacilli isolated from bats' feces for mutagenic and oxidative activity by lux-biosensors. The pro-mutagenic activity was determined when expression of recA increased with the appearance of double-strand breaks in the cell DNA, while an increase of katG expression in the presence of hydroxyl radicals indicated antioxidant activity. We identified that most of the isolated bacteria have pro-mutagenic and antioxidant properties at the same time. This study reveals new insights into bat gut microbiota's potential involvement in antiviral response and opens new frontiers in preventing emerging diseases originating from bats.

Citing Articles

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Popov I, Popov I, Chebotareva I, Tikhmeneva I, Peshkova D, Krikunova A Braz J Microbiol. 2025; .

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Detection of Brno loanvirus (Loanvirus brunaense) in common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) in Southern Russia.

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Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbiota of Bat Species with Different Feeding Habits.

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PMID: 38927243 PMC: 11200740. DOI: 10.3390/biology13060363.

Gut Microbiota Composition of Insectivorous Synanthropic and Fructivorous Zoo Bats: A Direct Metagenomic Comparison.

Popov I, Popov I, Krikunova A, Lipilkina T, Derezina T, Chikindas M Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(24).

PMID: 38139130 PMC: 10744024. DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417301.

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