Evidence of henipavirus infection in West African fruit bats.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 18648649.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0002739 and PMC identifier 2453319.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Henipaviruses are emerging RNA viruses of fruit bat origin that can cause fatal encephalitis in man. Ghanaian fruit bats (megachiroptera) were tested for antibodies to henipaviruses. Using a Luminex multiplexed microsphere assay, antibodies were detected in sera of Eidolon helvum to both Nipah (39%, 95% confidence interval: 27-51%) and Hendra (22%, 95% CI: 11-33%) viruses. Virus neutralization tests further confirmed seropositivity for 30% (7/23) of Luminex positive serum samples. Our results indicate that henipavirus is present within West Africa.
Medical subject headings
- Antibodies, Viral
- Chiroptera
- Henipavirus
- Henipavirus Infections