Henipaviruses are emerging RNA viruses of fruit bat origin that can cause fatal encephalitis in man. Ghanaian fruit bats (megachiroptera) were tested for antibodies to henipaviruses. Using a Luminex multiplexed microsphere assay, antibodies were detected in sera of Eidolon helvum to both Nipah (39%, 95% confidence interval: 27–51%) and Hendra (22%, 95% CI: 11–33%) viruses. Virus neutralization tests further confirmed seropositivity for 30% (7/23) of Luminex positive serum samples. Our results indicate that henipavirus is present within West Africa.

Factors that trigger human infection with animal influenza virus progressing into a pandemic are poorly understood. Within a project developing an evidence-based risk assessment framework for influenza viruses in animals, we conducted a review of the literature for evidence of human infection with animal influenza viruses by diagnostic methods used. The review covering Medline, Embase, SciSearch and CabAbstracts yielded 6,955 articles, of which we retained 89; for influenza A(H5N1) and A(H7N9), the official case counts of the World Health Organization were used. An additional 30 studies were included by scanning the reference lists. Here, we present the findings for confirmed infections with virological evidence. We found reports of 1,419 naturally infected human cases, of which 648 were associated with avian influenza virus (AIV) A(H5N1), 375 with other AIV subtypes, and 396 with swine influenza virus (SIV). Human cases naturally infected with AIV spanned haemagglutinin subtypes H5, H6, H7, H9 and H10. SIV cases were associated with endemic SIV of H1 and H3 subtype descending from North American and Eurasian SIV lineages and various reassortants thereof. Direct exposure to birds or swine was the most likely source of infection for the cases with available information on exposure.

In Europe and Asia, Ixodid ticks transmit tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a flavivirus that causes severe encephalitis in humans but appears to show no virulence for livestock and wildlife. In the British Isles, where TBEV is absent, a closely related tick-borne flavivirus, named louping ill virus (LIV), is present. However, unlike TBEV, LIV causes a febrile illness in sheep, cattle, grouse and some other species, that can progress to fatal encephalitis. The disease is detected predominantly in animals from upland areas of the UK and Ireland. This distribution is closely associated with the presence of its arthropod vector, the hard tick Ixodes ricinus. The virus is a positive-strand RNA virus belonging to the genus Flavivirus, exhibiting a high degree of genetic homology to TBEV and other mammalian tick-borne viruses. In addition to causing acute encephalomyelitis in sheep, other mammals and some avian species, the virus is recognized as a zoonotic agent with occasional reports of seropositive individuals, particularly those whose occupation involves contact with sheep. Preventative vaccination in sheep is effective although there is no treatment for disease. Surveillance for LIV in Great Britain is limited despite an increased awareness of emerging arthropod-borne diseases and potential changes in distribution and epidemiology. This review provides an overview of LIV and highlights areas where further effort is needed to control this disease.

Fruit bats of the genus Pteropus (commonly known as flying-foxes) are the natural hosts of several recently emerged zoonotic viruses of animal and human health significance in Australia and Asia, including Hendra and Nipah viruses. Satellite telemetry was used on nine flying-foxes of three species (Pteropus alecto n=5, P. vampyrus n=2, and P. neohibernicus n=2) to determine the scale and pattern of their long-distance movements and their potential to transfer these viruses between countries in the region. The animals were captured and released from six different locations in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste. Their movements were recorded for a median of 120 (range, 47-342) days with a median total distance travelled of 393 (range, 76-3011) km per individual. Pteropus alecto individuals were observed to move between Australia and Papua New Guinea (Western Province) on four occasions, between Papua New Guinea (Western Province) and Indonesia (Papua) on ten occasions, and to traverse Torres Strait on two occasions. Pteropus vampyrus was observed to move between Timor-Leste and Indonesia (West Timor) on one occasion. These findings expand upon the current literature on the potential for transfer of zoonotic viruses by flying-foxes between countries and have implications for disease risk management and for the conservation management of flying-fox populations in Australia, New Guinea, and the Lesser Sunda Islands.

We analyzed the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 epizootic of 2016–17 in Europe by epidemiologic and genetic characteristics and compared it with 2 previous epizootics caused by the same H5 Guangdong lineage. The 2016–17 epizootic was the largest in Europe by number of countries and farms affected and greatest diversity of wild birds infected. We observed significant differences among the 3 epizootics regarding region affected, epidemic curve, seasonality, and outbreak duration, making it difficult to predict future HPAI epizootics. However, we know that in 2005–06 and 2016–17 the initial peak of wild bird detections preceded the peak of poultry outbreaks within Europe. Phylogenetic analysis of 2016–17 viruses indicates 2 main pathways into Europe. Our findings highlight the need for global surveillance of viral changes to inform disease preparedness, detection, and control.

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 likely emerged from a wildlife source with transmission to humans followed by rapid geographic spread throughout the globe and severe impacts on both human health and the global economy. Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been many instances of human-to-animal transmission involving companion, farmed and zoo animals, and limited evidence for spread into free-living wildlife. The establishment of reservoirs of infection in wild animals would create significant challenges to infection control in humans and could pose a threat to the welfare and conservation status of wildlife. We discuss the potential for exposure, onward transmission and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in an initial selection of wild mammals (bats, canids, felids, mustelids, great apes, rodents and cervids). Dynamic risk assessment and targeted surveillance are important tools for the early detection of infection in wildlife, and here we describe a framework for collating and synthesising emerging information to inform targeted surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife. Surveillance efforts should be integrated with information from public and veterinary health initiatives to provide insights into the potential role of wild mammals in the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2.

To investigate the presence of Lagos bat virus (LBV)-specifi c antibodies in megachiroptera from West Africa, we conducted fl uorescent antibody virus neutralization tests. Neutralizing antibodies were detected in Eidolon helvum (37%), Epomophorus gambianus (3%), and Epomops buettikoferi (33%, 2/6) from Ghana. These fi ndings confi rm the presence of LBV in West Africa. Bats host a range of lyssaviruses, depending on their species and locality. The genus Lyssavirus is differentiated into 7 genetically divergent genotypes: classical rabies virus (genotype 1), Lagos bat virus (LBV; genotype 2), Mokola virus (MOKV; genotype 3), Duvenhage virus (genotype 4), European bat lyssavirus (genotypes 5 and 6), and Australian bat lyssavirus (genotype 7) (1). All but MOKV have been isolated from bats.LBV and MOKV are each distributed in Africa and are members of phylogroup 2 within the genus Lyssavirus (1). Because LBV isolates (2) from African bats are increasing, our goal was to determine the prevalence of virus neutralizing antibodies against LBV in bat populations in West Africa. The StudyBats were sampled in January and May 2007 at 6 sites in Ghana: the center of Accra (urban habitat); the wooded outskirts of Accra (savannah habitat); and forested habitats at Pra, Kibi, Adoagyiri, and Oyibi (a plantation with woodland/forest border). Bats were captured by using 6-18-m mist nets; roosting Eidolon helvum were captured by using nets on poles. A sample size of 59 would provide 95% confi dence of fi nding at least 1 LBV-seropositive bat in a large population (>5,000), given a seroprevalence of 5% and assuming random sampling (3). Species were identifi ed by using a dichotomous key (4). Captured bats were manually restrained and anesthetized by intravenous injection; ≈0.2-1.0 mL of blood was collected from the propatagial vein before the bat was released. Blood was centrifuged in the fi eld at ambient temperature at 3,000 rpm for 15 min. Serum was heat treated at 56°C for 30 min and frozen at -70°C.Two species, Epomophorus gambianus and E. helvum, were caught in suffi cient numbers (117 and 66, respectively) for reasonable inferences to be made about LBV seroprevalence rates (Table). A standard approach was used to calculate 95% confi dence intervals (CIs) for seroprevalence (3). Because of the relatively short distances between study sites and the likelihood of bats mixing between these sites, bats of each species were considered to belong to single populations. All but 3 E. helvum were derived from a colony in Accra, whereas E. gambianus were derived from all habitat types.Bat serum samples were tested for virus neutralizing antibody against classical rabies virus (challenge virus standard) by using a standard fl uorescent antibody virus neutralization (FAVN) test (5). Antibodies to LBV were measured by using a modifi ed FAVN test (6). Because positive bat antiserum from naturally infected bats was not available, for positive controls we used human rabies immunoglobulin, LBV-positive rabbit serum, and serum from mice vaccina...

A novel lyssavirus was isolated from brains of Indian flying foxes (Pteropus medius) in Sri Lanka. Phylogenetic analysis of complete virus genome sequences, and geographic location and host species, provides strong evidence that this virus is a putative new lyssavirus species, designated as Gannoruwa bat lyssavirus.