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Cantoni D, Mayora-Neto M, Derveni M, da Costa K, Del Rosario J, Ameh VO, Sabeta CT, Auld B, Hamlet A, Jones IM, Wright E, Scott SD, Giotis ES, Banyard AC, Temperton N. Serological evidence of virus infection in Eidolon helvum fruit bats: implications for bushmeat consumption in Nigeria. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1283113. [PMID: 38106901 PMCID: PMC10723585 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1283113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The Eidolon helvum fruit bat is one of the most widely distributed fruit bats in Africa and known to be a reservoir for several pathogenic viruses that can cause disease in animals and humans. To assess the risk of zoonotic spillover, we conducted a serological survey of 304 serum samples from E. helvum bats that were captured for human consumption in Makurdi, Nigeria. Methods Using pseudotyped viruses, we screened 304 serum samples for neutralizing antibodies against viruses from the Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Orthomyxoviridae and Paramyxoviridae families. Results We report the presence of neutralizing antibodies against henipavirus lineage GH-M74a virus (odds ratio 6.23; p < 0.001), Nipah virus (odds ratio 4.04; p = 0.00031), bat influenza H17N10 virus (odds ratio 7.25; p < 0.001) and no significant association with Ebola virus (odds ratio 0.56; p = 0.375) in this bat cohort. Conclusion The data suggest a potential risk of zoonotic spillover including the possible circulation of highly pathogenic viruses in E. helvum populations. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining sero-surveillance of E. helvum, and the necessity for further, more comprehensive investigations to monitor changes in virus prevalence, distribution over time, and across different geographic locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Cantoni
- Viral Pseudotype Unit, Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Kent and Greenwich, Chatham, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Mayora-Neto
- Viral Pseudotype Unit, Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Kent and Greenwich, Chatham, United Kingdom
| | - Mariliza Derveni
- Viral Pseudotype Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Kelly da Costa
- Viral Pseudotype Unit, Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Kent and Greenwich, Chatham, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne Del Rosario
- Viral Pseudotype Unit, Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Kent and Greenwich, Chatham, United Kingdom
| | - Veronica O. Ameh
- Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Makurdi, Nigeria
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Claude T. Sabeta
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa
- World Organisation for Animal Health Rabies Reference Laboratory, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Bethany Auld
- Viral Pseudotype Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Arran Hamlet
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ian M. Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Edward Wright
- Viral Pseudotype Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Simon D. Scott
- Viral Pseudotype Unit, Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Kent and Greenwich, Chatham, United Kingdom
| | - Efstathios S. Giotis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nigel Temperton
- Viral Pseudotype Unit, Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Kent and Greenwich, Chatham, United Kingdom
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