{
  "abstract": "Bats harbor exceptional coronavirus diversity and are considered ancestral sources of several human pathogens. As SARS-CoV-2 transitioned from pandemic emergence to global endemicity in humans, concern has shifted from wildlife-to-human spillover toward reverse zoonosis. However, infection of free-ranging bat populations under natural conditions has not previously been demonstrated. Here, we report widespread detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wild Neotropical bats sampled across Andean and Amazonian ecosystems of Southern Ecuador. RT-qPCR screening of 126 individuals, representing nine taxa, detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 34.12% of bats across multiple sites. Partial to near-complete viral genomes recovered from five individuals showed >99% nucleotide identity to contemporary human SARS-CoV-2 lineages and clustered within multiple global phylogenetic clades. Mixed-effects modeling revealed pronounced species-level heterogeneity, a positive association between elevation and infection probability, and higher infection probability in females compared with males. The close phylogenetic affinity of bat-derived genomes to circulating human variants and their distribution across multiple lineages suggest repeated anthropogenic spillback rather than sustained bat-specific circulation. These results expand current understanding of the ecological footprint of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the importance of integrating wildlife surveillance into long-term One Health strategies for emerging infectious diseases.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional de Loja, Loja, Ecuador; Grupo de Investigación en Genética y Biología Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Loja, Loj"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 21,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "J. Armijos-Rivera"
    },
    {
      "name": "G. Parra"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Bravo-Bonilla"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Gonzalez-Maldonado"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. Roman-Caceres"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Vasquez-Tituana"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Valdivieso"
    },
    {
      "name": "F. Tinoco"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Villavicencio"
    },
    {
      "name": "N. Aguirre"
    },
    {
      "name": "R. Cisneros-Vidal"
    },
    {
      "name": "V. Romero"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Garces"
    },
    {
      "name": "D. de Mora"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Bruno"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Moreno"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Tolini"
    },
    {
      "name": "L. Bavagnoli"
    },
    {
      "name": "L. M. Gomulski"
    },
    {
      "name": "F. Scolari"
    },
    {
      "name": "E. Crespan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4bbk5433sfes9.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.08.27.741511",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.741511v1.full",
  "id": "4bbk5433sfes9",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.741511v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "microbiology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2739|Zoonotic diseases and public health"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7205013760",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.741511v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-08-27",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4bbk5433sfes9.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:23Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.08.27.741511",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.27.741511v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:microbiology",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Widespread SARS-CoV-2 infection in free-ranging Neotropical bats suggests repeated human-to-bat spillback",
  "title_text": "Widespread SARS-CoV-2 infection in free-ranging Neotropical bats suggests repeated human-to-bat spillback",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:23Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4bbk5433sfes9",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}