Spatiotemporal Aspects of Hendra Virus Infection in Pteropid Bats (Flying-Foxes) in Eastern Australia.
Authors: Field Hume, Jordan David, Edson Daniel, Morris Stephen, Melville Debra, Parry-Jones Kerryn, Broos Alice, Divljan Anja, McMichael Lee, Davis Rodney, Kung Nina, Kirkland Peter, Smith Craig
Journal: PloS one
Summary
Hendra virus poses a significant spillover threat to horses and humans across eastern Australia, yet the infection dynamics in flying-foxes—its natural reservoir—remain poorly characterised. Over three years, researchers collected monthly pooled urine samples from 27 roosts spanning 2,300 km from northern Queensland to southern New South Wales, screening 13,968 samples via quantitative RT-PCR to map spatiotemporal patterns of viral excretion. Viral detection followed a non-linear latitudinal gradient, peaking in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales (where most equine cases have occurred), while showing negligible excretion in southern New South Wales and strong winter seasonality in more southern regions; critically, black and spectacled flying-foxes emerged as the primary shedders, whereas grey-headed and little red flying-foxes showed nil or minimal involvement regardless of population density. These findings enable targeted, region-specific risk mitigation strategies for equine facilities and improved prediction of spillover risk, though professionals should remain alert to potential shifts in flying-fox species distributions that could alter local risk profiles over time.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Horse owners in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales should implement heightened biosecurity measures during winter months when flying-fox HeV excretion peaks
- •Targeted surveillance and risk management strategies should focus on regions and roosts with black or spectacled flying-fox populations, as these species pose the greatest spillover risk
- •Understanding spatiotemporal patterns of HeV in flying-fox reservoirs enables more efficient allocation of protective resources for equine operations in high-risk zones
Key Findings
- •HeV excretion prevalence in flying-foxes varies non-linearly across a 2300 km latitudinal gradient, with highest positivity in southern Queensland/northern New South Wales
- •Black and spectacled flying-fox species are significant sources of HeV excretion, while grey-headed flying-foxes show nil or very low positivity rates
- •Strong winter seasonality of HeV excretion was identified in southern Queensland/northern NSW and central NSW regions
- •Little red flying-fox population increases were not associated with concurrent increases in HeV detection, indicating they are not a significant virus source