COVID-19, media coverage of bats and related Web searches: a turning point for bat conservation?

1. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, is genomically similar to a SARS-like beta-coronavirus found in Asian rhinolophid bats. This evolutionary relationship impressed the global media, which then emphasised bats as key actors in the spillover that resulted in the pandemic. In this study, we highlight changes in the traditional and new media coverage of bats and in Internet search volumes that occurred since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
2. We analysed Google and Wikipedia searches for bats and coronaviruses in 21 countries and eight languages, as well as television broadcasts in the USA, some of which have global coverage, between January 2016 and December 2020. In January 2020, the amount of television news about bats boomed, and news associated with the term ‘bat’ shifted to COVID-19-related topics. A nearly identical pattern was observed in Google searches during 2020 at the global scale. The daily time series of television coverage and Internet search volumes on bats and coronavirus in the USA covaried in the first quarter of 2020, in line with the existence of a media bubble. Time-series analysis revealed that both the Google Trends index and visits to Wikipedia pages about bats boomed in early 2020, despite the fact that this time of year is usually characterised by low search volumes.
3. Media coverage emphasised, correctly or not, the role of bats in the COVID-19 pandemic and amplified public interest in bats worldwide. The public image of these mammals, in many cases threatened and important ecosystem service providers, was seriously compromised. We therefore recommend that policymakers and journalists prioritise scientifically accurate communication campaigns about bats, which would help counteract the surge in bat persecution, and leverage interest towards positive human–bat interactions.

     

Metaciclogénesis de Trypanosoma cruzi en Belminus ferroae (Reduviidae: Triatominae) y capacidad infectiva de las heces en condiciones de laboratorio

IntroducciónBelminus ferroae es un triatomino de comportamiento entomófago, sin embargo, puede alimentarse de vertebrados ocasionalmente. No se ha demostrado infección natural por Trypanosoma cruzi en esta especie, como tampoco la metaciclogénesis del parásito.ObjetivoExaminar la metaciclogénesis de T. cruzi en B. ferroae y la capacidad infectiva de las heces o sus contenidos intestinales en roedores.Materiales y métodosSe analizaron las heces y la orina expulsadas espontáneamente por los insectos o mediante compresión abdominal o extracción del contenido intestinal a los 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 y 60 días. Se cuantificó la carga parasitaria de T. cruzi y sus formas evolutivas se identificaron con tinción de Giemsa. Asimismo, se evaluó en ratones albinos la capacidad infectiva de los tripomastigotes metacíclicos de T. cruzi obtenidos de las heces o contenidos intestinales de los especímenes infectados.ResultadosEl análisis parasitológico reveló tres (15%) insectos infectados con T. cruzi a los 30 (n=1), 40 (n=1) y 50 (n=1) días después de la infección con cargas parasitarias de hasta 1,62 x 10⁵ tripanosomas/mm³ y porcentajes de metaciclogénesis entre el 3,5 y el 6,78%.ConclusionesSe demuestra por primera vez, en una especie del género Belminus. la metaciclogenésis de T. cruzi en condiciones de laboratorio y la capacidad infectiva de las heces para un huésped vertebrado.Palabras clave: Trypanosoma cruzi, Triatominae, enfermedad de Chagas, tripanosomiasis     

Behavioral changes induced by the thyrotropin-releasing hormone analogue, RGH 2202

The behavioral activity of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) analogue, L-6-ketopiperidine-2-carbonyl-leucyl-L-prolinamide (RGH 2202), has been studied in the rat. The number of errors in a radial maze test was reduced after acute intraperitoneal (IP) injection of RGH 2202 at the dose of 5 or 10 mg/kg. Grooming activity was increased with a lower dose, 1 mg/kg. Hypoxia-induced amnesia, as assessed with active and passive avoidance behavior tests, was reversed in rats treated with 5 or 10 mg/kg of the drug. The loss of learning and memory capacity shown by aged rats in the same behavioral tests was also reduced after injection of RGH 2202. In a test for sexual activity of male rats, the higher dose of the drug induced a facilitation of mounting and ejaculations, while smaller doses were ineffective. The rotorod test revealed a decreased number of falls in animals treated with 5 or 10 mg/kg of RGH 2202. In all behavioral tests, the same doses of natural thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) were less effective, indicating that this analogue may be qualified as a potentially active drug in human pathologies.