Assessing the risk of disease emergence from flying fox (Pteropus spp.) hunting in Southeast Asia, an overview and implications for risk mitigation
Year: 2016
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Large frugivorous bats in the genus Pteropus are reservoirs of several emerging zoonotic diseases, including Henipaviruses. Here we present an overview of bat hunting and zoonotic disease emergence, and preliminary field data from three case studies in Southeast Asia designed to better understanding how bat hunting poses a risk for zoonotic disease spillover. We conducted in depth reviews of the literature, combined with viral discovery efforts in target Pteropus species to document the viral diversity present at various high-risk human-bat interfaces across Southeast Asia. Qualitative human behavioral studies were additionally conducted in Bangladesh and Indonesia to document cultural practices of bat hunting and high-risk activities that may be linked to viral exposure. Previously published detailed investigations of Pteropus vampyrus hunting and Nipah virus ecology in Malaysia will also be briefly reviewed. Bats in the family Pteropodidae carry a wide range of viruses across >10 viral families with zoonotic potential, and we find that different viral groups are differentially shed across bat excreta categories. Capturing and butchering of bats presents a high-risk interfaces for pathogen exposure across all 3 countries examined, but we find that motivations for hunting and bat consumption vary by geographic region. Hunting of flying foxes in Bangladesh may represent a previously unrecognized pathway for Nipah virus emergence. Volume of animals hunted from Malaysia and Indonesia will be presented. Across Southeast Asia and globally, fruit bat hunting for subsistence, sport, or medicine, may each represent important pathways for zoonotic disease emergence. Our multi-disciplinary approach that combines field and laboratory viral discovery, behavioral investigations, and in-depth disease ecology investigations allow for a more complete understanding of the risk of pathogen spillover from bat hunting, and can lead to low cost behavioral mitigation measures.
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7132934095