Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses harboured and assumed to be transmitted to humans by rodents. Numerous species of hantaviruses have been identified in a broad range of vertebrate animals expanding the potential reservoirs and range of these viruses. To elucidate ecological patterns influencing hantavirus infection among bats and then the dynamics of hantavirus transmission in south-eastern Brazil, 275 bats were captured from February 2012 to April 2014, in distinct landscapes with varying forest amounts. We investigated potential ecological correlates related to hantavirus infection among 53 bats tested for serological evidence of infection. Areas with low intermediate values for species diversity and high dominance of species had higher infection counts than other areas, but the correlations were non-significant. With intermediate amounts of percentage of forest cover presented higher infection counts were observed. More studies should address differences in probabilities of hantavirus infection across species since they may have different ecological requirements. We report potential ecological correlates for hantavirus infection among bats and provide data on bat diversity and distribution across seven fragmented landscapes compositions in the Neotropics. We suggest that bats may play an underestimated role in the interspecies transmission dynamics of hantaviruses, especially within the context of fragmented landscapes.

Schistosomiasis is a tropical neglected disease commonly associated with rural areas; however, urban schistosomiasis has been reported world-wide, and increasing urbanization is one of the most important demographic shifts of the 20 th and now 21 st centuries. The pattern of urbanization is not uniform so that within the same city the rates and sources of population increase vary. Here we report on the parasite composition in one neighborhood in the metropolitan area of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Using epidemiological data and population genetics we find evidence for local transmission and maintenance of Schistosoma mansoni infection within an urban population and little contribution from rural-urban migration. Our findings provide direction for local mitigation strategies and to assist the public living in this neighborhood to interrupt the local transmission cycle.