Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
Alison J. Peel
Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
David T. S. Hayman
Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Laboratory (mEpiLab), Infectious Disease Research Centre, Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Richard Suu-Ire
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu
Centre for Biodiversity Conservation Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Andrew A. Cunningham
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
James L. N. Wood
Disease Dynamics Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Colleen T. Webb
Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Few studies have examined the genetic population structure of vector-borne microparasites in wildlife, making it unclear how much these systems can reveal about the movement of their associated hosts. This study examined the complex host–vector–microbe interactions in a system of bats, wingless ectoparasitic bat flies (Nycteribiidae), vector-borne microparasitic bacteria (Bartonella) and bacterial endosymbionts of flies (Enterobacterales) across an island chain in the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa. Limited population structure was found in bat flies and Enterobacterales symbionts compared to that of their hosts. Significant isolation by distance was observed in the dissimilarity of Bartonella communities detected in flies from sampled populations of Eidolon helvum bats. These patterns indicate that, while genetic dispersal of bats between islands is limited, some non-reproductive movements may lead to the dispersal of ectoparasites and associated microbes. This study deepens our knowledge of the phylogeography of African fruit bats, their ectoparasites and associated bacteria. The results presented could inform models of pathogen transmission in these bat populations and increase our theoretical understanding of community ecology in host–microbe systems.
