Continent-wide panmixia of an African fruit bat facilitates transmission of potentially zoonotic viruses.

ABSTRACT: The straw-coloured fruit bat, Eidolon helvum, is Africa's most widely distributed and commonly hunted fruit bat, often living in close proximity to human populations. This species has been identified as a reservoir of potentially zoonotic viruses, but uncertainties remain regarding viral transmission dynamics and mechanisms of persistence. Here we combine genetic and serological analyses of populations across Africa, to determine the extent of epidemiological connectivity among E. helvum populations. Multiple markers reveal panmixia across the continental range, at a greater geographical scale than previously recorded for any other mammal, whereas populations on remote islands were genetically distinct. Multiple serological assays reveal antibodies to henipaviruses and Lagos bat virus in a

SUBMITTER: Peel AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3836177 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature