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Mortlock M, Geldenhuys M, Dietrich M, Epstein JH, Weyer J, Pawęska JT, Markotter W. Seasonal shedding patterns of diverse henipavirus-related paramyxoviruses in Egyptian rousette bats. Sci Rep 2021; 11:24262. [PMID: 34930962 PMCID: PMC8688450 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03641-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Bat-borne viruses in the Henipavirus genus have been associated with zoonotic diseases of high morbidity and mortality in Asia and Australia. In Africa, the Egyptian rousette bat species (Rousettus aegyptiacus) is an important viral host in which Henipavirus-related viral sequences have previously been identified. We expanded these findings by assessing the viral dynamics in a southern African bat population. A longitudinal study of henipavirus diversity and excretion dynamics identified 18 putative viral species circulating in a local population, three with differing seasonal dynamics, and the winter and spring periods posing a higher risk of virus spillover and transmission. The annual peaks in virus excretion are most likely driven by subadults and may be linked to the waning of maternal immunity and recolonization of the roost in early spring. These results provide insightful information into the bat-host relationship that can be extrapolated to other populations across Africa and be communicated to at-risk communities as a part of evidence-based public health education and prevention measures against pathogen spillover threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marinda Mortlock
- grid.49697.350000 0001 2107 2298Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa
| | - Marike Geldenhuys
- grid.49697.350000 0001 2107 2298Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa
| | - Muriel Dietrich
- grid.503393.fUMR Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical, 97490 Sainte-Clotilde, Reunion Island France
| | - Jonathan H. Epstein
- grid.49697.350000 0001 2107 2298Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa ,grid.420826.a0000 0004 0409 4702EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY 10001 USA
| | - Jacqueline Weyer
- grid.49697.350000 0001 2107 2298Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa ,grid.416657.70000 0004 0630 4574Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, 2131 South Africa ,grid.11951.3d0000 0004 1937 1135Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Pathology, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2131 South Africa
| | - Janusz T. Pawęska
- grid.49697.350000 0001 2107 2298Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa ,grid.416657.70000 0004 0630 4574Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, 2131 South Africa ,grid.11951.3d0000 0004 1937 1135Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Pathology, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2131 South Africa
| | - Wanda Markotter
- Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
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