**8. Prospectives**

Bat-borne virus transmission is a complex issue associating at the same time viruses with a high potential for infectivity for humans and a lack of evidence of direct transmission from bats to humans. Hence, outbreaks have already occurred demonstrating the reality of this threat. An emergence cannot be predicted but some elements in the chain of events can and must be monitored, in particular: (1) the prevalence of the virus in wild species that inhabit the region; (2) the effects of environmental changes on the prevalence of pathogens in wild populations; and (3) the frequency of human and domestic animals contact with bats (including indirect contact with droppings, aerosols, saliva, or urine). The future of the viruses-bats-humans relationship seems to evolve in a dichotomic way: on one hand, the number of endangered bat species is growing and their natural habitat is decreasing. According to IUCN [73], 23% of bat species worldwide are considered to be decreasing. On the other hand, the increasing deforestation and extension of mosaic anthropized habitats will attract different bat species leading synanthropic behavior and contacts. The current mobility of people is unprecedented and is a very important epidemiological factor to consider, since it increases the risk of spreading diseases. Land modification, changes in vegetation patterns (deforested areas, new land crops), disturbances in vector and host species dynamics, and microclimate changes are most likely to increase the contact between human or livestock and wildlife [41, 74]. Monitoring bat-borne diseases and more importantly the environmental conditions bringing bats, viruses, and humans into contact will be crucial and should lead to the development of scenarios of risk management.

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