Persistence of Multiple Paramyxoviruses in a Closed Captive Colony of Fruit Bats (Eidolon helvum).

Louise Gibson,James L N Wood,Andrew A Cunningham,James Kemp,Olivier Restif,Richard D Suu-Ire,Maria Puig Ribas

doi:10.3390/v13081659

Abstract

Bats have been identified as the natural hosts of several emerging zoonotic viruses, including paramyxoviruses, such as Hendra and Nipah viruses, that can cause fatal disease in humans. Recently, African fruit bats with populations that roost in or near urban areas have been shown to harbour a great diversity of paramyxoviruses, posing potential spillover risks to public health. Understanding the circulation of these viruses in their reservoir populations is essential to predict and prevent future emerging diseases. Here, we identify a high incidence of multiple paramyxoviruses in urine samples collected from a closed captive colony of circa 115 straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum). The sequences detected have high nucleotide identities with those derived from free ranging African fruit bats and form phylogenetic clusters with the Henipavirus genus, Pararubulavirus genus and other unclassified paramyxoviruses. As this colony had been closed for 5 years prior to this study, these results indicate that within-host paramyxoviral persistence underlies the role of bats as reservoirs of these viruses.

Highlights

Most emerging infectious diseases presenting threats to public health are zoonoses originating in wildlife [1]
Discussion the Henipavirus clade, the other sequences in diverse subgroups phylogenetiIn this study, wewhile detected the presence of were multiple paramyxoviruses in our closed cally related to the henipaviruses
The colony had been closed to new arrivals

Summary

Introduction

Most emerging infectious diseases presenting threats to public health are zoonoses originating in wildlife [1]. Hendra and Nipah viruses (genus Henipavirus) were first detected in the 1990s after severe outbreaks of disease in domestic animals and humans. Hendra virus (HeV) was identified in Australia in 1994 causing fatal pneumonia and encephalitis in horses and humans [8]. Several variants of HeV were found to be widespread in Australian fruit bats (Pteropus spp.) and outbreaks of disease have occurred almost every year since its identification [9]. Nipah virus (NiV) emerged in Malaysia in causing fatal respiratory disease and encephalitis in pigs and humans [10]. Fruit bats of the genus Pteropus are widely recognised as the natural reservoirs for HeV and NiV and their distribution was assumed to limit the range of henipaviruses [13]

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Methods

Conclusion