Lack of Marburg Virus Transmission From Experimentally Infected to Susceptible In-Contact Egyptian Fruit Bats

Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) were inoculated subcutaneously (n = 22) with Marburg virus (MARV). No deaths, overt signs of morbidity, or gross lesions was identified, but microscopic pathological changes were seen in the liver of infected bats. The virus was detected in 15 different ti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 2015-10, Vol.212 (suppl 2), p.S109-S118
Main Authors: Paweska, Janusz T., van Vuren, Petrus Jansen, Fenton, Karla A., Graves, Kerry, Grobbelaar, Antoinette A., Moolla, Naazneen, Leman, Patricia, Weyer, Jacqueline, Storm, Nadia, McCulloch, Stewart D., Scott, Terence P., Markotter, Wanda, Odendaal, Lieza, Clift, Sarah J., Geisbert, Thomas W., Hale, Martin J., Kemp, Alan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Chiroptera - virology
Disease Outbreaks
Disease Susceptibility - blood
Disease Susceptibility - immunology
Disease Susceptibility - virology
EPIDEMIOLOGY/ECOLOGY
Female
Humans
Male
Marburg virus
Marburg Virus Disease - immunology
Marburg Virus Disease - transmission
Marburg Virus Disease - virology
Marburgvirus - genetics
Marburgvirus - immunology
Marburgvirus - pathogenicity
Virus Replication - genetics
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Summary:Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) were inoculated subcutaneously (n = 22) with Marburg virus (MARV). No deaths, overt signs of morbidity, or gross lesions was identified, but microscopic pathological changes were seen in the liver of infected bats. The virus was detected in 15 different tissues and plasma but only sporadically in mucosal swab samples, urine, and fecal samples. Neither seroconversion nor viremia could be demonstrated in any of the in-contact susceptible bats (n = 14) up to 42 days after exposure to infected bats. In bats rechallenged (n = 4) on day 48 after infection, there was no viremia, and the virus could not be isolated from any of the tissues tested. This study confirmed that infection profiles are consistent with MARV replication in a reservoir host but failed to demonstrate MARV transmission through direct physical contact or indirectly via air. Bats develop strong protective immunity after infection with MARV.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/jiv132