Investigating the zoonotic origin of the West African Ebola epidemic

EMBO Molecular Medicine

Almudena Marí Saéz⁹  Sabrina Weiss³  Kathrin Nowak³  Vincent Lapeyre⁶  Fee Zimmermann³  Ariane Düx³  Hjalmar S Kühl⁶  Moussa Kaba⁶  Sebastien Regnaut⁶  Kevin Merkel³  Andreas Sachse³  Ulla Thiesen³  Lili Villányi³  Christophe Boesch⁶  Piotr W Dabrowski⁵  Aleksandar Radonić⁵  Andreas Nitsche⁵  Siv Aina J Leendertz³  Stefan Petterson¹  Stephan Becker⁴  Verena Krähling⁴  Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann⁷  Chantal Akoua-Koffi²  Natalie Weber¹⁰  Lars Schaade⁵  Jakob Fahr^8,9  Matthias Borchert⁹  Jan F Gogarten³  Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer³ 

[1] Eidolon ekologi, Kållered, Sweden;Research Center for the Development and Teaching Hospital, Université Alassane Ouattara de Bouake, Bouake, Côte d'Ivoire;Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany;Institute of Virology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany;Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany;Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, at Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany;Laboratoire National d'Appui au Développement Agricole, Laboratoire Central de la Pathologie Animal, Bingerville, Côte d'Ivoire;Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany;Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany;Institute of Experimental Ecology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany

关键词: bat;    Ebola;    West Africa;    wildlife;    zoonosis;   

DOI  :  10.15252/emmm.201404792

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

The severe Ebola virus disease epidemic occurring in West Africa stems from a single zoonotic transmission event to a 2-year-old boy in Meliandou, Guinea. We investigated the zoonotic origins of the epidemic using wildlife surveys, interviews, and molecular analyses of bat and environmental samples. We found no evidence for a concurrent outbreak in larger wildlife. Exposure to fruit bats is common in the region, but the index case may have been infected by playing in a hollow tree housing a colony of insectivorous free-tailed bats (Mops condylurus). Bats in this family have previously been discussed as potential sources for Ebola virus outbreaks, and experimental data have shown that this species can survive experimental infection. These analyses expand the range of possible Ebola virus sources to include insectivorous bats and reiterate the importance of broader sampling efforts for understanding Ebola virus ecology.

Synopsis

The severe Ebola virus disease epidemic occurring in West Africa likely stems from a single zoonotic transmission event involving a 2-year-old boy in Meliandou, Guinea, who might have been infected by hunting or playing with insectivorous free-tailed bats living in a nearby hollow tree.

• Monitoring data show that larger wildlife did not experience a recent decline and is therefore unlikely to have served as the source for the Ebola virus disease epidemic in West Africa.
• Fruit bat hunting and butchering are common activities in southern Guinea, therefore facilitating direct human contact.
• Children are also exposed to insectivorous bats through hunting in and around villages.
• No large colony of fruit bats exists in or nearby the index village (Meliandou).
• The 2-year-old index case may have been infected by playing in a hollow tree housing a colony of insectivorous free-tailed bats (Mops condylurus).

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.