Tulsiani S M, Cobbold R N, Graham G C, Dohnt M F, Burns M-A, Leung L K-P, Field H E, Smythe L D, Craig S B
School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia.
Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 2011 Jan;105(1):71-84. doi: 10.1179/136485911X12899838413501.
Although antileptospiral antibodies and leptospiral DNA have been detected in Australian fruit bats, the role of such bats as infectious hosts for the leptospires found in rodents and humans remains unconfirmed. A cohort-design, replicated survey was recently conducted in Far North Queensland, Australia, to determine if the abundance and leptospiral status of rodents were affected by association with colonies of fruit bats (Pteropus conspicillatus spp.) via rodent contact with potentially infectious fruit-bat urine. In each of four study areas, a 'colony site' that included a fruit-bat colony and the land within 1500 m of the colony was compared with a 'control site' that held no fruit-bat colonies and was >2000 m from the nearest edge of the colony site. Rodents were surveyed, for a total of 2400 trap-nights, over six sampling sessions between September 2007 and September 2008. A low abundance of rodents but a high carriage of leptospires in the rodents present were found to be associated with proximity to a fruit-bat colony. For example, means of 0·4 and 2·3 fawn-footed melomys (Melomys cervinipes) were collected/100 trap-nights at sites with and without fruit-bat colonies, respectively (P<0·001), but the corresponding prevalences of leptospiral carriage were 100% and 3·6% (P<0·001). Such trends were consistent across all of the sampling sessions but not across all of the sampling sites. Leptospires were not isolated from fruit bats by culture, and the role of such bats in the transmission of leptospires to rodents cannot be confirmed. The data collected do, however, indicate the existence of a potential pathway for transmission of leptospires from fruit bats to rodents, via rodent contact with infectious fruit-bat urine. Fruit bats may possibly be involved in the ecology of leptospires (including emergent serovars), as disseminators of pathogens to rodent populations. Stringent quantitative risk analysis of the present and similar data, to explore their implications in terms of disease prevalence and wildlife population dynamics, is recommended.
尽管在澳大利亚果蝠体内检测到了抗钩端螺旋体抗体和钩端螺旋体DNA，但这些蝙蝠作为啮齿动物和人类体内所发现钩端螺旋体的感染宿主，其作用仍未得到证实。最近在澳大利亚昆士兰州远北地区开展了一项队列设计的重复调查，以确定啮齿动物的数量和钩端螺旋体感染状况是否会因与果蝠（ conspicillatus 种）群落接触而受到影响，这种接触是通过啮齿动物接触可能具有传染性的果蝠尿液实现的。在四个研究区域中的每一个，将一个“群落地点”（包括一个果蝠群落以及群落周边1500米范围内的土地）与一个“对照地点”进行比较，对照地点没有果蝠群落，且距离群落地点的最近边缘超过2000米。在2007年9月至2008年9月期间的六个采样时段，共进行了2400个陷阱夜的啮齿动物调查。结果发现，啮齿动物数量较少，但所捕获的啮齿动物中钩端螺旋体携带率较高，这与靠近果蝠群落有关。例如，在有和没有果蝠群落的地点，每100个陷阱夜分别捕获到0.4只和2.3只黄足长吻袋貂（Melomys cervinipes）（P<0.001），但相应的钩端螺旋体携带率分别为100%和3.6%（P<0.001）。所有采样时段的趋势都是一致的，但并非所有采样地点都如此。通过培养未从果蝠中分离出钩端螺旋体，因此无法证实这些蝙蝠在将钩端螺旋体传播给啮齿动物方面的作用。然而，所收集的数据确实表明，存在一条钩端螺旋体从果蝠通过啮齿动物接触传染性果蝠尿液传播给啮齿动物的潜在途径。果蝠可能作为病原体向啮齿动物种群的传播者，参与钩端螺旋体（包括新出现的血清型）的生态过程。建议对当前及类似数据进行严格的定量风险分析，以探讨它们在疾病流行率和野生动物种群动态方面的影响。
