Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK.
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK.
Nat Commun. 2013;4:2770. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3770.
The straw-coloured fruit bat, Eidolon helvum, is Africa's most widely distributed and commonly hunted fruit bat, often living in close proximity to human populations. This species has been identified as a reservoir of potentially zoonotic viruses, but uncertainties remain regarding viral transmission dynamics and mechanisms of persistence. Here we combine genetic and serological analyses of populations across Africa, to determine the extent of epidemiological connectivity among E. helvum populations. Multiple markers reveal panmixia across the continental range, at a greater geographical scale than previously recorded for any other mammal, whereas populations on remote islands were genetically distinct. Multiple serological assays reveal antibodies to henipaviruses and Lagos bat virus in all locations, including small isolated island populations, indicating that factors other than population size and connectivity may be responsible for viral persistence. Our findings have potentially important public health implications, and highlight a need to avoid disturbances that may precipitate viral spillover.
棕果蝠是非洲分布最广、最常被猎捕的果蝠之一，常生活在人类聚居地附近。该物种被认为是潜在人畜共患病病毒的宿主，但病毒传播动力学和持续存在的机制仍存在不确定性。在这里，我们结合了对非洲各地种群的遗传和血清学分析，以确定棕果蝠种群之间流行病学联系的程度。多项标记表明，在比以前记录的任何其他哺乳动物更大的地理范围内，整个大陆范围内的种群存在基因混合，而偏远岛屿上的种群则在基因上存在差异。多种血清学检测显示，所有地点（包括小的孤立岛屿种群）都存在亨德拉病毒和拉各斯蝙蝠病毒的抗体，表明除了种群规模和连通性之外，其他因素可能导致病毒持续存在。我们的研究结果具有潜在的重要公共卫生意义，强调需要避免可能引发病毒溢出的干扰。
