doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0538. Epub 2012 Jun 13.
Ecological and anthropogenic drivers of rabies exposure in vampire bats: implications for transmission and control
Affiliations
- PMID:22696521
- PMCID: PMC3396893
- DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0538
Item in Clipboard
Ecological and anthropogenic drivers of rabies exposure in vampire bats: implications for transmission and control
Daniel G Streicker et al. Proc Biol Sci..
Display options
Format
Display options
Format
Abstract
Despite extensive culling of common vampire bats in Latin America, lethal human rabies outbreaks transmitted by this species are increasingly recognized, and livestock rabies occurs with striking frequency. To identify the individual and population-level factors driving rabies virus (RV) transmission in vampire bats, we conducted a longitudinal capture-recapture study in 20 vampire bat colonies spanning four regions of Peru. Serology demonstrated the circulation of RV in vampire bats from all regions in all years. Seroprevalence ranged from 3 to 28 per cent and was highest in juvenile and sub-adult bats. RV exposure was independent of bat colony size, consistent with an absence of population density thresholds for viral invasion and extinction. Culling campaigns implemented during our study failed to reduce seroprevalence and were perhaps counterproductive for disease control owing to the targeted removal of adults, but potentially greater importance of juvenile and sub-adult bats for transmission. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of RV maintenance in vampire bats and highlight the need for ecologically informed approaches to rabies prevention in Latin America.
Figures
Map of study sites in Peru with spatio-temporal patterns of rabies virus (RV) exposure. White points show sampling locations. Coloured regions indicate the governmental departments that were sampled (red, Apurimac; green, Madre de Dios; blue, Lima; orange, Cajamarca). Pie charts show the proportion of seropositive (white) vampire bats in each site in each year, with pie diameter proportional to sample size (range = 6–102). Colonies with less than or equal to five samples in a single year were classified as seropositive (open diamond) or seronegative (filled diamond). Dashed lines connect sites across years and orbits around Peru group sites by year.
Effects of (a) age and (b) culling history on RV exposure in vampire bats. Error bars are 95% confidence intervals. Letters indicate statistically significant differences among groups (p < 0.05) in generalized linear mixed models. Sample sizes for groups are indicated below bar labels.
The relationship between vampire bat colony size and seroprevalence. Colours indicate the departmental region as in figure 1. A logistic regression found no significant association between colony size and seroprevalence (z1 = 0.71,p = 0.479). When the two sites with unusually high seroprevalence were removed (see top left portion of figure), this relationship became weakly, but significantly positive (z1 = 2.138,p = 0.031). However, they-intercept remained significantly greater than zero, suggesting the absence of a strict population threshold for viral invasion. The dotted and dashed lines show model predictions of prevalence for the full and partial datasets, respectively. Squares, 2008; circles, 2009; triangles, 2010.
Similar articles
- Ecological determinants of rabies virus dynamics in vampire bats and spillover to livestock.Meza DK, Mollentze N, Broos A, Tello C, Valderrama W, Recuenco S, Carrera JE, Shiva C, Falcon N, Viana M, Streicker DG.Meza DK, et al.Proc Biol Sci. 2022 Sep 14;289(1982):20220860. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0860. Epub 2022 Sep 7.Proc Biol Sci. 2022.PMID:36069012Free PMC article.
- Human rabies and rabies in vampire and nonvampire bat species, Southeastern Peru, 2007.Salmón-Mulanovich G, Vásquez A, Albújar C, Guevara C, Laguna-Torres VA, Salazar M, Zamalloa H, Cáceres M, Gómez-Benavides J, Pacheco V, Contreras C, Kochel T, Niezgoda M, Jackson FR, Velasco-Villa A, Rupprecht C, Montgomery JM.Salmón-Mulanovich G, et al.Emerg Infect Dis. 2009 Aug;15(8):1308-10. doi: 10.3201/eid1508.081522.Emerg Infect Dis. 2009.PMID:19751600Free PMC article.
- Anthropogenic roost switching and rabies virus dynamics in house-roosting big brown bats.Streicker DG, Franka R, Jackson FR, Rupprecht CE.Streicker DG, et al.Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2013 Jul;13(7):498-504. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2012.1113. Epub 2013 Apr 16.Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2013.PMID:23590325
- Vampire bat rabies: ecology, epidemiology and control.Johnson N, Aréchiga-Ceballos N, Aguilar-Setien A.Johnson N, et al.Viruses. 2014 Apr 29;6(5):1911-28. doi: 10.3390/v6051911.Viruses. 2014.PMID:24784570Free PMC article.Review.
- Defining New Pathways to Manage the Ongoing Emergence of Bat Rabies in Latin America.Benavides JA, Valderrama W, Recuenco S, Uieda W, Suzán G, Avila-Flores R, Velasco-Villa A, Almeida M, Andrade FAG, Molina-Flores B, Vigilato MAN, Pompei JCA, Tizzani P, Carrera JE, Ibanez D, Streicker DG.Benavides JA, et al.Viruses. 2020 Sep 8;12(9):1002. doi: 10.3390/v12091002.Viruses. 2020.PMID:32911766Free PMC article.Review.
Cited by
- Discrepancies in data reporting for rabies, Africa.Nel LH.Nel LH.Emerg Infect Dis. 2013 Apr;19(4):529-33. doi: 10.3201/eid1904.120185.Emerg Infect Dis. 2013.PMID:23628197Free PMC article.
- Ecological determinants of rabies virus dynamics in vampire bats and spillover to livestock.Meza DK, Mollentze N, Broos A, Tello C, Valderrama W, Recuenco S, Carrera JE, Shiva C, Falcon N, Viana M, Streicker DG.Meza DK, et al.Proc Biol Sci. 2022 Sep 14;289(1982):20220860. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0860. Epub 2022 Sep 7.Proc Biol Sci. 2022.PMID:36069012Free PMC article.
- Culling vampire bats failed to beat rabies - and made the problem worse.Coleman J.Coleman J.Nature. 2023 Mar 10. doi: 10.1038/d41586-023-00712-y. Online ahead of print.Nature. 2023.PMID:36899187No abstract available.
- Bat Research Networks and Viral Surveillance: Gaps and Opportunities in Western Asia.Phelps KL, Hamel L, Alhmoud N, Ali S, Bilgin R, Sidamonidze K, Urushadze L, Karesh W, Olival KJ.Phelps KL, et al.Viruses. 2019 Mar 10;11(3):240. doi: 10.3390/v11030240.Viruses. 2019.PMID:30857374Free PMC article.Review.
- When to kill a cull: factors affecting the success of culling wildlife for disease control.Prentice JC, Fox NJ, Hutchings MR, White PCL, Davidson RS, Marion G.Prentice JC, et al.J R Soc Interface. 2019 Mar 29;16(152):20180901. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0901.J R Soc Interface. 2019.PMID:30836896Free PMC article.
References
- Calisher C. H., Childs J. E., Field H. E., Holmes K. V., Schountz T. 2006. Bats: important reservoir hosts of emerging viruses. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 19, 531–545 10.1128/CMR.00017-06 (doi:10.1128/CMR.00017-06) - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
- Plowright R. K., Field H. E., Smith C., Divljan A., Palmer C., Tabor G., Daszak P., Foley J. E. 2008. Reproduction and nutritional stress are risk factors for Hendra virus infection in little red flying foxes (Pteropus scapulatus). Proc. R. Soc. B 275, 861–869 10.1098/rspb.2007.1260 (doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1260) - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
- Amengual B., Bourhy H., Lopez-Roig M., Serra-Cobo J. 2007. Temporal dynamics of European bat lyssavirus type 1 and survival of Myotis myotis in natural colonies. PLoS ONE 2, e566 10.1371/journal.pone.0000566 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000566) - DOI - DOI - PMC - PubMed
- Wacharapluesadee S., Boongird K., Wanghongsa S., Ratanasetyuth N., Supavonwong P., Saengsen D., Gongal G., Hemachudha T. 2010. A longitudinal study of the prevalence of Nipah virus in Pteropus lylei bats in Thailand: evidence for seasonal preference in disease transmission. Vector-Borne Zoonotic Dis. 10, 183–190 10.1089/vbz.2008.0105 (doi:10.1089/vbz.2008.0105) - DOI - DOI - PubMed
- World Health Organization 2005. WHO expert consultation on rabies: first report 5–8 Oct 2004. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. Technical report, vol. 931, pp. 1–88 - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Related information
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical