Gut Microbiome of Ugandan Insectivorous Bats Carrying Coronaviruses
Category: Research Poster
Author(s): Emerald Cordova, Kalani Williams, Rebekah Kading, Emma Harris, Natalie Wickenkamp
Presenter(s): Emerald Cordova
Mentors(s): Kalani Williams, Rebekah Kading
Many insectivorous bat species harbor viruses, including those that may have potential human health concerns, such as coronaviruses. A link between gut health and immune capacity has been suggested via the endogenous microbiota, making investigations into the relationship between the gut microbiome composition and viral infection status critical. We hypothesize that bat species, cave, season and coronavirus infection status will impact the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome. Fecal samples (n=178) were collected from insectivorous bats from four cave systems from the Mount Elgon region of Eastern Uganda across both dry and wet seasons from 2022 to 2023. Extracted bacterial DNA was PCR-amplified using 16S primer sets, then sequenced using Next-Generation Sequencing. Alpha and beta diversity of the microbiome were examined in relation to our variables. Shannon Diversity and Faith’s Phylogenetic Diversity indices observed alpha diversity (comparison within individual groups). Phylogenetic diversity of the gut microbiota was significantly different for each of our four variables. Interestingly, bats that tested positive for coronaviruses exhibited a higher diversity than those that tested negative. Beta diversity (comparison between groups) was examined using unweighted and weighted UniFrac metrics, which indicated that significant differences in diversity were present only in bat species and season. These results suggest that, from our tested variables, the primary drivers of compositional differences are species and season. However, a large amount of variation remains unaccounted for. Understanding gut microbiome differences in bats carrying coronaviruses is essential for uncovering future insights into the gut microbiome’s impact on bat immunity.