Recrudescent infection supports Hendra virus persistence in Australian flying-fox populations.
Authors: Wang Hsiao-Hsuan, Kung Nina Y, Grant William E, Scanlan Joe C, Field Hume E
Journal: PloS one
Summary
Hendra virus persistence in Australian flying-fox colonies has been attributed primarily to horizontal transmission within and between populations, yet Wang and colleagues present an underexplored alternative: recrudescence (reactivation of latent infection) may sustain the virus indefinitely within isolated bat populations without requiring continuous external sources of infection. Using computational modelling informed by published data on flying-fox ecology and Hendra epidemiology, the researchers demonstrated that simulated infection patterns matched observed field data, suggesting recrudescence alone could maintain viral circulation and potentially explain the seasonal clustering of equine infections through periodic pulses of infectious bats. The findings have significant implications for disease control strategies—if recrudescence is indeed a primary persistence mechanism, management approaches must shift from focusing solely on inter-colony transmission to considering within-population dynamics and the factors triggering viral reactivation in individual bats. For equine professionals, this research underscores why biosecurity protocols around bat habitat and seasonal risk periods warrant reconsideration, though the authors appropriately call for empirical validation of their model predictions before operational changes are implemented.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Hendra virus persistence in flying-fox populations may be driven by recrudescence (reactivation of latent infection) rather than continuous horizontal transmission, changing our understanding of when horses are at highest risk of exposure
- •Seasonal clustering of equine Hendra cases likely corresponds to peaks of infectious flying-foxes following recrudescence events, allowing for better prediction of high-risk periods for disease management
- •Effective management of Hendra virus risk in horses requires understanding flying-fox infection dynamics; recrudescence should be a key consideration in epidemiological models and surveillance strategies
Key Findings
- •Computer simulations demonstrate that Hendra virus can persist in isolated flying-fox populations indefinitely through periodic recrudescence without requiring immigration of infected individuals
- •Simulated infection patterns in flying-foxes align with observed field infection patterns and seasonal clustering of equine cases
- •Post-recrudescence pulses of infectious flying-foxes provide a plausible epidemiological mechanism for seasonal clustering of Hendra virus cases in horses