Malmlov Ashley, Seetahal Janine, Carrington Christine, Ramkisson Vernie, Foster Jerome, Miazgowicz Kerri L, Quackenbush Sandra, Rovnak Joel, Negrete Oscar, Munster Vincent, Schountz Tony
Arthropod-borne and Infectious Disease Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2017 Sep 27;12(9):e0185308. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185308. eCollection 2017.
Tacaribe virus (TCRV) was isolated in the 1950s from artibeus bats captured on the island of Trinidad. The initial characterization of TCRV suggested that artibeus bats were natural reservoir hosts. However, nearly 60 years later experimental infections of Jamaican fruit bats (Artibeus jamaicensis) resulted in fatal disease or clearance, suggesting artibeus bats may not be a reservoir host. To further evaluate the TCRV reservoir host status of artibeus bats, we captured bats of six species in Trinidad for evidence of infection. Bats of all four fruigivorous species captured had antibodies to TCRV nucleocapsid, whereas none of the insectivore or nectarivore species did. Many flat-faced fruit-eating bats (A. planirostris) and great fruit-eating bats (A. literatus) were seropositive by ELISA and western blot to TCRV nucleocapsid antigen, as were two of four Seba's fruit bats (Carollia perspicillata) and two of three yellow-shouldered fruit bats (Sturnira lilium). Serum neutralization tests failed to detect neutralizing antibodies to TCRV from these bats. TCRV RNA was not detected in lung tissues or lung homogenates inoculated onto Vero cells. These data indicate that TCRV or a similar arenavirus continues to circulate among fruit bats of Trinidad but there was no evidence of persistent infection, suggesting artibeus bats are not reservoir hosts.
塔卡里贝病毒（TCRV）于20世纪50年代从特立尼达岛捕获的叶口蝠中分离出来。TCRV的初步特征表明叶口蝠是天然宿主。然而，近60年后，对牙买加果蝠（Artibeus jamaicensis）的实验性感染导致了致命疾病或病毒清除，这表明叶口蝠可能不是宿主。为了进一步评估叶口蝠作为TCRV宿主的状态，我们在特立尼达捕获了六种蝙蝠以寻找感染证据。捕获的所有四种食果蝠物种的蝙蝠都有针对TCRV核衣壳的抗体，而食虫蝠或食蜜蝠物种的蝙蝠则没有。许多平头果蝠（A. planirostris）和大果蝠（A. literatus）通过ELISA和蛋白质印迹法对TCRV核衣壳抗原呈血清阳性，四种灰果蝠（Carollia perspicillata）中的两种以及三种黄肩果蝠（Sturnira lilium）中的两种也是如此。血清中和试验未能从这些蝙蝠中检测到针对TCRV的中和抗体。在接种到Vero细胞上的肺组织或肺匀浆中未检测到TCRV RNA。这些数据表明TCRV或一种类似的沙粒病毒继续在特立尼达的果蝠中传播，但没有持续感染的证据，这表明叶口蝠不是宿主。
