Micro‒Global Positioning Systems for Identifying Nightly Opportunities for Marburg Virus Spillover to Humans by Egyptian Rousette Bats

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 29; no. 11; pp. 2238 - 2245
• Main Authors: Amman, Brian R, Schuh, Amy J, Akurut, Gloria, Kamugisha, Kilama, Namanya, Dianah, Sealy, Tara K, Graziano, James C, Enyel, Eric, Wright, Emily A, Balinandi, Stephen, Lutwama, Julius J, Kading, Rebekah C, Atimnedi, Patrick, Towner, Jonathan S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Atlanta U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.11.2023; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Bats; Crop diseases; Cultivation; Distribution; Egypt; Egyptian rousette bat; Encroachment; Environmental aspects; Epidemics; Feces; Filovirus; Foraging; Foraging behavior; Fruit; Fruit cultivation; Fruit trees; Fruits; Global positioning systems; GPS; Health aspects; Health risk assessment; International economic relations; Marburg virus; Marburg virus disease; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Micro‒Global Positioning Systems for Identifying of Nightly Opportunities for Marburg Virus Spillover to Humans by Egyptian Rousette Bats; National parks; Outbreaks; Personal protective equipment; Ravn virus; Rousettus aegyptiacus; Scientific equipment and supplies industry; Sub-Saharan Africa; Telemetry; Uganda; United States; Urine; viruses; Wildlife conservation; Zoonoses; Sub-Saharan Africa; Uganda; United States; Egypt; Africa
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2911.230362

Marburg virus disease, caused by Marburg and Ravn orthomarburgviruses, emerges sporadically in sub-Saharan Africa and is often fatal in humans. The natural reservoir is the Egyptian rousette bat (ERB), which sheds virus in saliva, urine, and feces. Frugivorous ERBs discard test-bitten and partially eaten fruit, potentially leaving infectious virus behind that could be consumed by other susceptible animals or humans. Historically, 8 of 17 known Marburg virus disease outbreaks have been linked to human encroachment on ERB habitats, but no linkage exists for the other 9 outbreaks, raising the question of how bats and humans might intersect, leading to virus spillover. We used micro‒global positioning systems to identify nightly ERB foraging locations. ERBs from a known Marburg virus‒infected population traveled long distances to feed in cultivated fruit trees near homes. Our results show that ERB foraging behavior represents a Marburg virus spillover risk to humans and plausibly explains the origins of some past outbreaks.