This is the supplementary table that accompanies the manuscript by Olival et al. entitled 'Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to free-ranging wildlife: a case study of bats'. The table illustrates global patterns of betacoronavirus (β-CoV) associations in bats. The table lists bat species in which betacoronaviruses (β-CoVs) were detected, organized by viral subgenera and clade [for Sarbecorviruses], bat family, bat suborder, and general global region where the species of bat occurs. Reference to the published literature sources of information for each row are listed in the last column.

The potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, into North American bat populations is of interest to wildlife managers due to recent declines of several species. Populations of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) have collapsed due to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the introduction and spread of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Throughout much of the United States and southern Canada, large colonies of the species routinely established diurnal roosts in anthropogenic structures creating the potential for direct human contact and cross-species disease transmission. Given recent declines and the potential for further disease impacts, we collected oral swabs from eight little brown bat colonies for RT-qPCR analysis to describe the presence and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2. We visited colonies in Maryland (n = 1), New Hampshire (n = 1), New Jersey (n = 2), New York (n = 1), Rhode Island (n = 2), and Virginia (n = 1) during May-August, 2022. We have analyzed samples from 235 individuals and all have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Our results indicate that little brown bats are either negative for SARS-CoV-2 or that it persists in undetectable levels in populations of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast in the summer months. Nonetheless, future work addressing other seasons or using serologic approaches may still be warranted to conclusively determine disease status.

We compiled a data set of species by country metrics related to spillback risk for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) and Mpox viruses. This included aggregating species level estimates of susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and Mpox infections, species distribution, and county level infection pressure for both viruses.

We experimentally challenged wild Mexican free-tailed bats (TABR) with SARS-CoV-2 to determine the susceptibility, reservoir potential, and population impacts of infection in this species. Of nine bats oronasally inoculated with SARS-CoV-2, five became infected and orally excreted moderate amounts of virus for up to 18 days post inoculation. These five subjects all seroconverted and cleared the virus before the end of the study with no obvious clinical signs of disease. We additionally found no evidence of viral transmission to uninoculated subjects. These results indicate that while TABR are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, infection of wild populations of TABR would not likely cause mortality.

We experimentally challenged wild Mexican free-tailed bats (TABR) with SARS-CoV-2 to determine the susceptibility, reservoir potential, and population impacts of infection in this species. Of nine bats oronasally inoculated with SARS-CoV-2, five became infected and orally excreted moderate amounts of virus for up to 18 days post inoculation. These five subjects all seroconverted and cleared the virus before the end of the study with no obvious clinical signs of disease. We additionally found no evidence of viral transmission to uninoculated subjects. These results indicate that while TABR are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, infection of wild populations of TABR would not likely cause mortality.

This dataset documents the results of large-scale surveillance efforts to assess coronavirus prevalence in North American bats. Wildlife monitoring is critical for establishing disease baselines and identifying key factors that inform conservation strategies aimed at reducing pathogen exposure among wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. Reports of SARS-CoV-2 in free-ranging wildlife in North America have raised concerns about potential exposure in bats, with potential implications for both conservation and human health. Here, we leveraged the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) to (1) assess whether bats were actively shedding coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, (2) examine whether landscape variation in coronavirus shedding was associated with resource availability, and (3) investigate temporal variation in shedding and its relationship with individual characteristics such as body mass, sex, and reproductive status. We also used the same data to develop a bat roost discovery tool using Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) and evaluated the predictive ability of this model against other commonly used approaches. We found that our model could be particularly useful for predicting which bridges can be excluded from survey efforts due to low probability of bat presence or signs of bat use. In this second version of the data release for the broader NABat OneHealth project, we provide the survey data from bridge surveys which were used as inputs for our roost prediction model as well as coronavirus surveillance data from Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) which were sampled in California in 2022.

Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) weights and SARS-CoV2 test results were collected as part of study to assess transmission potential of SARS-CoV2 in North American bat populations. It has been proposed that the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in Asian bats and subsequently spread through human populations as a pandemic. There is concern that infected humans could transmit the virus to native North American bats, therefore the susceptibility of several North American bat species to the pandemic virus has been experimentally assessed. Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) were shown to be resistant to infection by SARS-CoV-2, while Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) became infected and orally excreted moderate amounts of virus for up to 18 days post-inoculation. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) frequently contact humans, and their populations are threatened over much of their range due to white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that is continuing to spread across North America. For this study, we experimentally challenged little brown bats with SARS-CoV-2 to determine their susceptibility, host potential, and whether the virus presents an additional risk to this species. We present data, including oral and rectal excretion, health status and serological evidence that shows this species was resistant to infection by SARS-CoV-2. These findings will provide reassurance to wildlife rehabilitators, biologists, conservation scientists, and the public at large who are concerned with possible transmission of this virus to threatened bat populations.