Screening for viral proteins to some emerging viruses in African straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon Helvum) captured in Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Africa as a continent has recently experienced various zoonoses. Bats are indispensable reservoirs for the spread of emerging infectious diseases; African Straw-coloured Fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) are known for their migratory nature, going as far as 2000 km and have been linked to numerous viral diseases that affect both man and animals. This study was carried out to screen for the presence antibodies to Nipah virus soluble G protein (NiV sG), Nipah virus N protein (NiV N), Nipah virus soluble F protein (NiV sF), Hendra virus soluble G protein (HeV sG), Zaire Ebola virus G protein (EboV G), Cedar virus soluble G protein (CedV sG) and Menangle virus N protein (MenV N) in Eidolon helvum captured in Zaria, Nigeria. Methods & Materials: A total of forty-five (45) bats were trapped and captured from two residential bat roosts in Zaria. Bats were slaughtered for consumption with whole blood spotted on Whatman FTA cards and transported to CSIRO, Australia for screening by Luminex binding assay. Results: The result revealed low Median Fluorescent Intensity values for most samples but high values were obtained for HeV sG (2.2%) and MenV N (6.7%): this is suggestive of the presence of antibodies to these viruses. Conclusion: There are no evidences of NiV sG, NiV N, NiV sF, HeVsG, EboV G, CedV sG and MenV N proteins in bats in Zaria. Further investigation may recognize novel viruses of public health importance.