Australian bat lyssavirus infection: a second human case, with a long incubation period

Hanna, Jeffrey N; Carney, Ian; Smith, Greg; Tannenberg, A. E. G.; Deverill, Johanna; Botha, J. A.; Serafin, I. L.; Harrower, Bruce; Fitzpatrick, Peter F.; Searle, J. W.

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2000.tb124126.x

Cited by 177 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Dogs and cats experimentally infected with a laboratory adapted strain of ABLVp exhibited mild behavioral changes and seroconverted within the three month study, but none succumbed to ABLV and no viral antigen was detected at necropsy (McColl et al, 2007). However, this study was only carried out for three months and it is possible that this was not sufficient time for the virus to reach the brain; the single documented human ABLVp infection had an incubation period of more than two years (Hanna et al, 2000). The ability of ABLVs to cause clinical disease in dogs and cats has not been evaluated.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first fatal case occurred in November 1996 approximately 5 weeks after a 39-year-old female animal handler was bitten presumably by a yellow-bellied sheathtail bat (Allworth et al, 1996). A second fatal case was reported in November 1998, more than 2 years after a 37-year-old female was bitten by a flying fox (Hanna et al, 2000). The most recent case occurred in an 8-year old boy in February 2013, when he began to suffer convulsions, abdominal pain and fever, followed by progressive brain problems and coma.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Host cell tropism mediated by Australian bat lyssavirus envelope glycoproteins

et al. 2013

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Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) is a rhabdovirus of the lyssavirus genus capable of causing fatal rabies-like encephalitis in humans. There are two variants of ABLV, one circulating in pteropid fruit bats and another in insectivorous bats. Three fatal human cases of ABLV infection have been reported with the third case in 2013. Importantly, two equine cases also arose in 2013; the first occurrence of ABLV in a species other than bats or humans. We examined the host cell entry of ABLV, characterizing its tropism and exploring its cross-species transmission potential using maxGFP-encoding recombinant vesicular stomatitis viruses that express ABLV G glycoproteins. Results indicate that the ABLV receptor(s) is conserved but not ubiquitous among mammalian cell lines and that the two ABLV variants can utilize alternate receptors for entry. Proposed rabies virus receptors were not sufficient to permit ABLV entry into resistant cells, suggesting that ABLV utilizes an unknown alternative receptor(s).

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Host cell tropism mediated by Australian bat lyssavirus envelope glycoproteins

et al. 2013

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“…Cases occurred in 1996 [6], 1998 [7], and 2013 [8], with each case having a history of bat bite/s and/or scratch/es within Queensland.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Exposures to Australian Bat Lyssavirus Notified in Queensland, Australia, 2009−2014

Marquess

Donnan

et al. 2016

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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BackgroundAustralian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) belongs to the genus Lyssavirus which also includes classic rabies virus and the European lyssaviruses. To date, the only three known human ABLV cases, all fatal, have been reported from Queensland, Australia. ABLV is widely distributed in Australian bats, and any bite or scratch from an Australian bat is considered a potential exposure to ABLV.Methodology/Principal FindingsPotential exposure to ABLV has been a notifiable condition in Queensland since 2005. We analysed notification data for potential exposures occurring between 2009 and 2014. There were 1,515 potential exposures to ABLV notified in Queensland, with an average annual notification rate of 5.6 per 100,000 population per year. The majority of notified individuals (96%) were potentially exposed to ABLV via bats, with a small number of cases potentially exposed via two ABLV infected horses and an ABLV infected human. The most common routes of potential exposure were through bat scratches (47%) or bites (37%), with less common routes being mucous membrane/broken skin exposure to bat saliva/brain tissue (2.2%). Intentional handling of bats by the general public was the major cause of potential exposures (56% of notifications). Examples of these potential exposures included people attempting to rescue bats caught in barbed wire fences/fruit tree netting, or attempting to remove bats from a home. Following potential exposures, 1,399 cases (92%) were recorded as having appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) as defined in national guidelines, with the remainder having documentation of refusal or incomplete PEP. Up to a quarter of notifications occurred after two days from the potential exposure, but with some delays being more than three weeks. Of 393 bats available for testing during the reporting period, 20 (5.1%) had ABLV detected, including four species of megabats (all flying foxes) and one species of microbats (yellow-bellied sheathtail bat).Conclusions/SignificancePublic health strategies should address the strong motivation of some members of the public to help injured bats or bats in distress, by emphasising that their action may harm the bat and put themselves at risk of the fatal ABLV infection. Alternative messaging should include seeking advice from professional animal rescue groups, or in the event of human contact, public health units. Further efforts are required to ensure that when potential exposure occurs, timely reporting and appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis occur.

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“…All were reported from Queensland and all subsequently died from the infection. Two of the cases were reported in the mid-1990s in females aged 30-40 years [8,9] and a child was infected by a bat in north Queensland in late 2012 and died in early 2013 [10]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding human – bat interactions in NSW, Australia: improving risk communication for prevention of Australian bat lyssavirus

et al. 2014

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BackgroundAustralian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) infects a number of flying fox and insectivorous bats species in Australia. Human infection with ABLV is inevitably fatal unless prior vaccination and/or post-exposure treatment (PET) is given. Despite ongoing public health messaging about the risks associated with bat contact, surveillance data have revealed a four-fold increase in the number of people receiving PET for bat exposure in NSW between 2007 and 2011. Our study aimed to better understand these human – bat interactions in order to identify additional risk communication messages that could lower the risk of potential ABLV exposure. All people aged 18 years or over whom received PET for non-occupation related potential ABLV exposure in the Hunter New England Local Health District of Australia between July 2011 and July 2013 were considered eligible for the study. Eligible participants were invited to a telephone interview to explore the circumstances of their bat contact. Interviews were then transcribed and thematically analysed by two independent investigators.ResultsOf 21 eligible participants that were able to be contacted, 16 consented and participated in a telephone interview. Participants reported bats as being widespread in their environment but reported a general lack of awareness about ABLV, particularly the risk of disease from bat scratches. Participants who attempted to ‘rescue’ bats did so because of a deep concern for the bat’s welfare. Participants reported a change in risk perception after the exposure event and provided suggestions for public health messages that could be used to raise awareness about ABLV.ConclusionsReframing the current risk messages to account for the genuine concern of people for bat welfare may enhance the communication. The potential risk to the person and possible harm to the bat from an attempted ‘rescue’ should be promoted, along with contact details for animal rescue groups. The potential risk of ABLV from bat scratches merits greater emphasis.

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Australian bat lyssavirus infection: a second human case, with a long incubation period

Cited by 177 publications

References 10 publications

Host cell tropism mediated by Australian bat lyssavirus envelope glycoproteins

Host cell tropism mediated by Australian bat lyssavirus envelope glycoproteins

Potential Exposures to Australian Bat Lyssavirus Notified in Queensland, Australia, 2009−2014

Understanding human – bat interactions in NSW, Australia: improving risk communication for prevention of Australian bat lyssavirus

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