Conference abstract

Lagos bat virus infection study

Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2017:5(8).13 Dec 2017.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2017.5.8.530
Archived on: 13 Dec 2017
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Keywords: Emerging zoonoses, lyssavirus, Lagos bat virus, straw colored fruit bat
Abstract

Lagos bat virus infection study

Richard Suu-Ire1,2,&, Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu1, Andrew Cunningham3, James Wood4

1University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana, 2Veterinary Service Department, Accra, Ghana, 3Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom, 4Department of Veterinary Medicine, Disease Dynamics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

&Corresponding author
Richard Suu-Ire, Veterinary Service Department, Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: bats are reservoirs for many emerging and neglected zoonotic viruses, including rabies virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) like coronavirus, henipavirus and filovirus. Several species of fruit bats are reservoir hosts for Lagos Bat Virus (LBV) with spillover infections documented in dogs, cats and mongoose. The impact of bat lyssavirus in Africa is unknown. investigations of the dynamics of zoonotic viruses in wild bats in Ghana identified lyssaviruses (LBV), henipaviruses and filoviruses (Ebola) as zoonotic infections of fruits bats in Ghana. LBV has not been well studied and its risk for human and animals uncertain. We hypothesized that the inoculation of LBV can cause clinical disease in E. helvum.

Methods: to investigate the pathobiology and transmission pattern of LBV in fruits bats, we conducted experimental intracranial inoculation (i.c) of LBV in captive bred and seronegative for Lagos bat virus, straw colored fruits bats (Eidolon helvum) in Accra, Ghana.

Results: all 12 infected bats developed clinical rabies. All the infected bats died or were euthanized due to welfare concern within one (1) week of infection. All control bats survived till the end of the experiment.

Conclusion: we concluded that intracranial inoculation of Lagos bat virus caused fatal disease in bats. This paper present the clinical features of the infection study.