Quantitative Delineation of Herpesviruses in Bats for use in Ecological Studies

Anna R. Sjodin; Michael R. Willig; Simon J. Anthony

In conclusion, ecological tools and perspectives can be used to understand viral infection and transmission, generating a multitude of hypotheses in the emerging field of viral ecology. Future studies with goals of monitoring public health should increase the number of sampled individuals for each host species to enhance the likelihood of uncovering patterns of host preference and reservoir status. Studies aimed at viral ecology will likely require focus on more prevalent viral taxa, such as herpesviruses, instead of rare viral taxa of more zoonotic concern, such as coronaviruses or filoviruses. Further ecological research should prioritize sampling host individuals from multiple field locations, addressing viral infection and transmission at multiple spatial scales, while decoupling the spatial and ecological mechanisms that shape viral community assembly.