Long-term survival of an urban fruit bat seropositive for Ebola and Lagos bat viruses

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dc.citation.issue8
dc.citation.volume5
dc.contributor.authorHayman DTS
dc.contributor.authorEmmerich P
dc.contributor.authorYu M
dc.contributor.authorWang L-F
dc.contributor.authorSuu-Ire R
dc.contributor.authorFooks AR
dc.contributor.authorCunningham AA
dc.contributor.authorWood JLN
dc.date.available2010-08-04
dc.date.available2010-07-12
dc.date.issued2010
dc.description.abstractEbolaviruses (EBOV) (family Filoviridae) cause viral hemorrhagic fevers in humans and non-human primates when they spill over from their wildlife reservoir hosts with case fatality rates of up to 90%. Fruit bats may act as reservoirs of the Filoviridae. The migratory fruit bat, Eidolon helvum, is common across sub-Saharan Africa and lives in large colonies, often situated in cities. We screened sera from 262 E. helvum using indirect fluorescent tests for antibodies against EBOV subtype Zaire. We detected a seropositive bat from Accra, Ghana, and confirmed this using western blot analysis. The bat was also seropositive for Lagos bat virus, a Lyssavirus, by virus neutralization test. The bat was fitted with a radio transmitter and was last detected in Accra 13 months after release post-sampling, demonstrating long-term survival. Antibodies to filoviruses have not been previously demonstrated in E. helvum. Radio-telemetry data demonstrates long-term survival of an individual bat following exposure to viruses of families that can be highly pathogenic to other mammal species. Because E. helvum typically lives in large urban colonies and is a source of bushmeat in some regions, further studies should determine if this species forms a reservoir for EBOV from which spillover infections into the human population may occur.
dc.description.publication-statusPublished
dc.identifierhttp://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000280574300018&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=c5bb3b2499afac691c2e3c1a83ef6fef
dc.identifierARTN e11978
dc.identifier.citationPLOS ONE, 2010, 5 (8)
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0011978
dc.identifier.elements-id220091
dc.identifier.harvestedMassey_Dark
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.publisherPublic Library of Science
dc.relation.isPartOfPLOS ONE
dc.rights© 2010 Hayman et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
dc.titleLong-term survival of an urban fruit bat seropositive for Ebola and Lagos bat viruses
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.notesNot known
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Sciences
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Sciences/School of Veterinary Science
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