key: cord-0933664-ooal9483
authors: Bonilla-Aldana, D. Katterine; Jimenez-Diaz, S. Daniela; Arango-Duque, J. Sebastian; Aguirre-Florez, Mateo; Balbin-Ramon, Graciela J.; Paniz-Mondolfi, Alberto; Suárez, Jose Antonio; Pachar, Monica R.; Perez-Garcia, Luis A.; Delgado-Noguera, Lourdes A.; Sierra, Manuel Antonio; Muñoz-Lara, Fausto; Zambrano, Lysien I.; Rodriguez-Morales, Alfonso J.
title: Reply to “Misconceptions and misinformation about bats and viruses”
date: 2021-02-26
journal: Int J Infect Dis
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.02.096
sha: 82109fda3474e44a7f1f196125dfdde915b82a01
doc_id: 933664
cord_uid: ooal9483

nan

Reply to "Misconceptions and misinformation about bats and viruses" Firstly, we welcome the letter of Puechmaille et al about our review article (Bonilla-Aldana et al., 2021) . We agree that bats have received considerable attention as potential reservoirs of several zoonotic viruses, which is the main focus of our narrative review article. Nevertheless, although highlighted for the SARS-CoV-2/ COVID-19 situation, this emerging coronavirus has not been the only concern over the last decades regarding bats. We strongly disagree in the wrong and biased appreciation of Puechmaille et al regarding our article. We include information based on multiple sources; we cited 94 articles from multiple journals so far, multiple authors and countries, related to studies and other reviews of different natures, which is usually above the number of included references for a narrative review, as our article is. We developed a review article, not a "study" as incorrectly stated by Puechmaille et al. Secondly, this is a narrative review (not a systematic review).

Certainly we were informed about the correspondence you sent to the Journal, before the current letter, asking "retraction" of our review article, which request was clearly dismissed by the Journal and the Editors. As the letter was directed to a preproof version of our manuscript (not a definitive version, an article in press that still may undergo enhancements and in which the text could still change), we considered many of the suggestions of the initial letter, and as Puechmaille et al clearly stated, we substantially amended and expanded our article, even considered their recommended articles. We included references suggested. We accepted their comments for the article's improvement, similar to what occurs during peer-review processes, and we cited many of the references suggested by Puechmaille et al, in addition to other new references cited. Especially with SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, over the last months, new significant references have been published (Nazir et al., 2021) , and this is not only a controversial topic, as is derived for the concern of Puechmaille et al, but rapidly changing, as multiple studies on it are under development (Motayo et al., 2020; Streicker and Gilbert, 2020; Schlottau et al., 2020; Wacharapluesadee et al., 2021; Kia et al., 2021) . We acknowledge some typos present in the final version, inadvertently uncorrected during the proofs stage.

Regarding nomenclature, we have to repeat that the main focus of our review is on the viral infectious diseases that have been reported in bats in different sources, cited, not on taxonomy. We clearly included the Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera subdivision (Bonilla-Aldana et al., 2021) . In addition, we mentioned the other two. Those additional classifications exist, no matter consensus or agreement on their use or reference by Puechmaille et al. Although for biologists, bat evolution, ecology and taxonomy is interesting, that, again, is not the focus of our review article. Viral infectious agents present or reported in bats are, doubtless, a matter of concern for public health, where we agree more studies are certainly needed over time (Coertse et al., 2021) .

Our article is not a systematic review, is a narrative review on the available information in cited papers. We agree that for some of the viruses, as we clearly stated in the article, their role still needs to be fully confirmed and understood. Particularly, transmission chains still need more study. We wanted to call attention to and raise the awareness of the potential viral threats that may come from bats, some of them clearly undeniable, as is the case in rabies. Puechmaille et al misinterpreted the section on this virus. Clearly in urban areas human cases of rabies are fundamentally related to domestic animals such as dogs, but in wild natural habitats, wild animals such as bats are related and involved in the transmission of rabies in other animals (livestock) and humans.

As we clearly stated, we provided an updated narrative review, showing information on a wide range of viral pathogens that have been reported in bats. Specific articles focused on particular pathogens also have been published and are available. More studies certainly are needed to clarify specifically in detail the relative importance, transmission methods, and impact of viral pathogens that may be present, including not only those already reported, but also new emerging pathogens that deserve more studies by multidisciplinary teams of researchers, collaborating in a constructive way, in pro of the global public health, given the importance that pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, represent for the humankind. Anyone trying to make science, in any group of infectious diseases, should be more open, less rigid and less dogmatic, and consider to work friendly and collaboratively, including experts in infectious from multiple backgrounds as we did in this article. Otherwise you will only stand from a personal biased point of view, as some biologists such as Puechmaille et al did with their negative comments. Finally, we do not blame the bats for the SARS-CoV-2 and other viral epidemics and pandemics, but the impact of human activity on wildlife conservation, among many other anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic interplaying factors (Turcios-Casco and Cazzolla Gatti, 2020 

Bats in ecosystems and their Wide spectrum of viral infectious potential threats: SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses

Lagos Bat Virus, an Under-Reported Rabies-Related Lyssavirus

Identification of coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses, reoviruses, and rotaviruses among bats in Nigeria

Evolutionary dynamics and geographic dispersal of beta coronaviruses in African bats

Eco-Environmental Aspects of COVID-19 Pandemic and Potential Control Strategies

SARS-CoV-2 in fruit bats, ferrets, pigs, and chickens: an experimental transmission study

Turcios-Casco MA, Cazzolla Gatti R. Do not blame bats and pangolins! Global consequences for wildlife conservation after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Evidence for SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses circulating in bats and pangolins in Southeast Asia

Grupo de Investigación BIOECOS, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas

Grupo Colaborativo de Investigación en Enfermedades Transmitidas por Vectores, Zoonóticas y Tropicales de Risaralda (GETZ)

Balbin-Ramon Hospital de Emergencias Jose Casimiro