Managing emerging diseases borne by fruit bats (flying foxes), with particular reference to henipaviruses and Australian bat lyssavirus

Abstract

Since 1994, a number of novel viruses have been described from bats in Australia and Malaysia, particularly from fruit bats belonging to the genus Pteropus (flying foxes), and it is probable that related viruses will be found in other countries across the geographical range of other members of the genus. These viruses include Hendra and Nipah viruses, members of a new genus, Henipaviruses, within the family Paramyxoviridae; Menangle and Tioman viruses, new members of the Rubulavirus genus within the Paramyxoviridae; and Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV), a member of the Lyssavirus genus in the family Rhabdoviridae. All but Tioman virus are known to be associated with human and/or livestock diseases. The isolation, disease associations and biological properties of the viruses are described, and are used as the basis for developing management strategies for disease prevention or control. These strategies are directed largely at disease minimization through good farm management practices, reducing the potential for exposure to flying foxes, and better disease recognition and diagnosis, and for ABLV specifically, the use of rabies vaccine for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. Finally, an intriguing and long-term strategy is that of wildlife immunization through plant-derived vaccination.

HenipavirusInfection in Fruit Bats (Pteropus giganteus), India

“…and from bats to other species (13,14). In our study, we found no signifi cant difference in seroprevalence between sexes, or between lactating and nonlactating females.…”

Phylogeography, Population Dynamics, and Molecular Evolution of European Bat Lyssaviruses

“…It is therefore possible that long-distance transmission is facilitated by migratory bat species that roost with E. serotinus. The large roost sizes and high densities of many bat species make them well suited to the sustained transmission and exchange of RNA viruses (26), as well as a variety of other pathogens (16). Under these conditions, the transmission of EBLV is most likely maintained through the transfer of infectious saliva during licking and biting (16).…”

The Conflict Between Pteropodid Bats and Fruit Growers: Species, Legislation and Mitigation

“…Old World fruit bats are natural reservoirs to a number of such diseases, including several emerging viruses that have limited or no pathogenicity in their bat hosts but high fatality rates in people. These include Ebola viruses (Leroy et al 2005), Marburg virus (Towner et al 2009), Nipah virus (Rahman et al 2013), Hendra virus (Halpin et al 2000), and lyssaviruses in Australia (Mackenzie et al 2003) and Thailand (Lumlertdacha et al 2005). While the transmission pathway for each virus is not always known, there is compelling evidence, in a small number of cases, that points to a food-borne route, most notably multiple spillover events of Nipah virus from Pteropus giganteus to people in Bangladesh (see below).…”