| retrospective evaluation of cases of neoplasia in a captive population of egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). | reports of neoplasia in chiroptera species are rare. (6, 10) this retrospective study describes five types of neoplasia identified within a captive population of male egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) housed in a zoo from 2004 through november of 2014. tumor types identified include fibrosarcoma, cutaneous lymphoma, benign focal bronchioloalveolar neoplasm, anaplastic sarcoma, and sebaceous epithelioma. to the author's knowledge, aside from a recent report of focal brochioloalveolar ad ... | 2015 | 26056887 |
| a recently discovered pathogenic paramyxovirus, sosuga virus, is present in rousettus aegyptiacus fruit bats at multiple locations in uganda. | in august 2012, a wildlife biologist became ill immediately following a 6-wk field trip to collect bats and rodents in south sudan and uganda. after returning to the us, the biologist was admitted to the hospital with multiple symptoms including fever, malaise, headache, generalized myalgia and arthralgia, stiffness in the neck, and sore throat. soon after admission, the patient developed a maculopapular rash and oropharynx ulcerations. the patient remained hospitalized for 14 d. several suspect ... | 2015 | 25919464 |
| the baara (biological automated radiotracking) system: a new approach in ecological field studies. | radiotracking is an important and often the only possible method to explore specific habits and the behaviour of animals, but it has proven to be very demanding and time-consuming, especially when frequent positioning of a large group is required. our aim was to address this issue by making the process partially automated, to mitigate the demands and related costs. this paper presents a novel automated tracking system that consists of a network of automated tracking stations deployed within the ... | 2015 | 25714910 |
| rediscovery of meristaspis lateralis (kolenati) (acari: mesostigmata: spinturnicidae) parasitizing the egyptian fruit bat, rousettus aegyptiacus (geoffroy) (mammalia: chiroptera), with a key to mites of bats in egypt. | faunistic information about bat mites in egypt is scarce. collection records of parasitic mites, meristaspis lateralis (kolenati, 1856) (mesostigmata: spinturnicidae), are reported from the egyptian fruit bat, rousettus aegyptiacus (geoffroy, 1810) (mammalia: chiroptera) in assiut governorate, egypt. seven species of bat mites are recognized from egypt to date. a host-parasite checklist and an identification key to these species are presented. | 2014 | 24961009 |
| characterization of the hepcidin gene in eight species of bats. | hemochromatosis, or iron storage disease, has been associated with significant liver disease and mortality in captive egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). the physiologic basis for this susceptibility has not been established. in humans, a deficiency or resistance to the iron regulatory hormone, hepcidin has been implicated in the development of hereditary hemochromatosis. in the present study, we compared the coding sequence of the hepcidin gene in eight species of bats representing thr ... | 2014 | 24295741 |
| metastatic pancreatic carcinoma and bronchioloalveolar adenomas in an egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | an adult female, intact egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) was presented for lethargy, anorexia, and markedly reduced flying activity. physical and ultrasound examinations were suggestive of an abdominal mass with free fluid within the abdomen. based on the poor and deteriorating clinical condition of the animal, euthanasia was elected. gross necropsy revealed an irregular thickening at the root of the mesentery and a diffusely, dark-red liver with rounded hepatic margins. histologic exa ... | 2013 | 24063117 |
| morphological and scanning electron microscopic studies of the tongue of the egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) and their lingual adaptation for its feeding habits. | this study was carried out on the tongues of 12 adult normal healthy egyptian fruit bats of both sexes. the tongue is protrusible, elongated flat with a rounded apex and its wide and thickness increase gradually toward the lingual root. there are four types of lingual papillae; two mechanical and two gustatory. the tongue divided into three parts (anterior, middle and posterior), each part subdivides into three regions; two lateral regions and median region, in addition to the lingual apex to th ... | 2013 | 23709139 |
| kinematics of chiropteran shoulder girdle in flight. | new data on the mechanisms of movements of the shoulder girdle and humerus of bats are described; potential mobility is compared to the movements actually used in flight. the study was performed on the basis of morphological and functional analysis of anatomical specimens of 15 species, high speed and high definition filming of two species and x-ray survey of rousettus aegyptiacus flight. our observations indicate that any excursions of the shoulder girdle in bats have relatively small input in ... | 2013 | 23381941 |
| environmental margin and island evolution in middle eastern populations of the egyptian fruit bat. | here, we present a study of the population genetic architecture and microevolution of the egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) at the environmental margins in the middle east using mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellites. in contrast to the rather homogenous population structure typical of cave-dwelling bats in climax tropical ecosystems, a relatively pronounced isolation by distance and population diversification was observed. the evolution of this pattern could be ascribed to ... | 2012 | 23094994 |
| large-scale navigational map in a mammal. | navigation, the ability to reach desired goal locations, is critical for animals and humans. animal navigation has been studied extensively in birds, insects, and some marine vertebrates and invertebrates, yet we are still far from elucidating the underlying mechanisms in other taxonomic groups, especially mammals. here we report a systematic study of the mechanisms of long-range mammalian navigation. high-resolution global positioning system tracking of bats was conducted here, which revealed h ... | 2011 | 21844350 |
| effects of ethanol on food consumption and skin temperature in the egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | since mammalian frugivores generally choose to eat ripe fruit in which ethanol concentration ([etoh]) increases as the fruit ripens, we asked whether ethanol acts as an appetitive stimulant in the egyptian fruit bat, rousettus aegyptiacus, and also studied the effects of ethanol on their skin temperature (t(s)). we hypothesized that the responses of fruit bats to dietary ethanol are concentration dependent and tested the predictions that the bats' response is positive, i.e., they eat more when [ ... | 2011 | 21705791 |
| [bats in israel: is there a reason for medical concern?]. | bats (classified in the order chiroptera) are the most abundant and widely distributed species of mammals in the world. they occupy a variety of ecosystems and are known for their ecological importance as seed dispersers, pollinators and insectivores. the order chiroptera, containing 33 known species, is the largest mammalian order in israel bats are homothermous, can fly for long distances, have long life spans and are very often highly gregarious. these traits make them important reservoir hos ... | 2010 | 21341436 |
| fruit bats (pteropodidae) fuel their metabolism rapidly and directly with exogenous sugars. | previous studies reported that fed bats and birds mostly use recently acquired exogenous nutrients as fuel for flight, rather than endogenous fuels, such as lipids or glycogen. however, this pattern of fuel use may be a simple size-related phenomenon because, to date, only small birds and bats have been studied with respect to the origin of metabolized fuel, and because small animals carry relatively small energy reserves, considering their high mass-specific metabolic rate. we hypothesized that ... | 2010 | 20639431 |
| ethanol ingestion affects flight performance and echolocation in egyptian fruit bats. | ethanol, a potential toxin for vertebrates, is present in all fleshy fruits and its content increases as the fruit ripens. previously, we found that the marginal value of food for egyptian fruit bats, rousettus aegyptiacus, decreases when its ethanol content exceeds 1%. therefore, we hypothesized that, if ingested, food containing >1% ethanol is toxic to these bats, probably causing inebriation that will affect flight and echolocation skills. we tested this hypothesis by flying egyptian fruit ba ... | 2010 | 20153407 |
| morphology and morphometry of lingual papillae in adult and newborn egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). | the paper presents a comparison of the microscopic structure and morphometric traits of gustatory and mechanical lingual papillae in newborn and adult frugivorous egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). all of the four types of lingual papillae found in adult animals were observed on the tongue surface in the newborn egyptian fruit bats. after the birth, the gustatory papillae (fungiform and vallate papillae) were especially well-developed, as their structural characteristics, such as morph ... | 2009 | 19681832 |
| primate-like retinotectal decussation in an echolocating megabat, rousettus aegyptiacus. | the current study was designed to reveal the retinotectal pathway in the brain of the echolocating megabat rousettus aegyptiacus. the retinotectal pathway of other species of megabats shows the primate-like pattern of decussation in the retina; however, it has been reported that the echolocating rousettus did not share this feature. to test this prior result we injected fluorescent dextran tract tracers into the right (fluororuby) and left (fluoroemerald) superior colliculi of three adult rouset ... | 2008 | 18367343 |
| microchip-associated leiomyosarcoma in an egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | microchips are commonly used in companion, research, and zoo animal medicine for easy, reliable, and cost-effective identification with relatively low risk of side effects. this report describes development of a metastatic leiomyosarcoma associated with a microchip in an egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | 2007 | 17679525 |
| distribution and morphology of cholinergic, putative catecholaminergic and serotonergic neurons in the brain of the egyptian rousette flying fox, rousettus aegyptiacus. | over the past decade much controversy has surrounded the hypothesis that the megachiroptera, or megabats, share unique neural characteristics with the primates. these observations, which include similarities in visual pathways, have suggested that the megabats are more closely related to the primates than to the other group of the chiropteran order, the microbats, and suggests a diphyletic origin of the chiroptera. to contribute data relevant to this debate, we used immunohistochemical technique ... | 2007 | 17624722 |
| echolocation signal structure in the megachiropteran bat rousettus aegyptiacus geoffroy 1810. | rousettus aegyptiacus geoffroy 1810 is a member of the only genus of megachiropteran bats to use vocal echolocation, but the structure of its brief, click-like signal is poorly described. although thought to have a simple echolocation system compared to that of microchiroptera, r. aegyptiacus is capable of good obstacle avoidance using its impulse sonar. the energy content of the signal was at least an order of magnitude smaller than in microchiropteran bats and dolphins (approximately 4 x 10(-8 ... | 2004 | 15557022 |
| a vasectomy technique for egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). | bats in captivity reproduce well and contraceptive techniques are needed. in initial attempts at vasectomy using a prescrotal approach, it was difficult to identify the mesoductus deferens. the technique described here uses a scrotal approach with exteriorization of the testis, followed by identification and ligation of the mesoductus deferens. nine egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) underwent vasectomy for this study. no postoperative complications were seen (n = 18 testes), but some o ... | 2004 | 15193083 |
| vitamin d metabolism in a frugivorous nocturnal mammal, the egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | the nocturnal, frugivorous egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) has no obvious access to either endogenous or dietary sources of vitamin d. we hypothesized that this species under natural conditions would be vitamin d deficient and that both serum mineral concentrations and vitamin d metabolite concentrations would be low. both wild populations and captive populations appear to have an impoverished vitamin d status, as concentrations of the principle circulating metabolite, 25-hydroxyvitam ... | 2003 | 12899852 |
| sound localization in an old-world fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus): acuity, use of binaural cues, and relationship to vision. | the passive sound-localization acuity of egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) was determined using a conditioned-avoidance procedure. the mean minimum audible angle for left-right discrimination for 3 bats was 11.6 degrees--very near the mean for terrestrial mammals. the bats also were able to localize low- and high-frequency pure tones, indicating that they can use both binaural phase-difference and binaural intensity-difference cues to localize sound. moreover, they were able to use the ... | 1999 | 10497795 |
| hearing in a megachiropteran fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | the egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) is one of the few megachiropteran bats capable of echolocation. however, it uses rudimentary tongue clicks rather than laryngeally produced echo calls. we determined the audiogram of 2 bats using a conditioned avoidance procedure with fruit puree reward. at an intensity of 60 db sound pressure level, the bats' hearing extended from 2.25 khz to 64 khz, with a region of good sensitivity between 8 khz and 45 khz. a dip in sensitivity at 32 khz appears ... | 1998 | 9861710 |
| immunocytochemical identification of endocrine cells in the pancreas of the fruit bat, rousettus aegyptiacus. | the fruit bat, rousettus aegyptiacus, is able to absorb large amounts of glucose in very short periods of time. this ability is partly reflected by the structure of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas. the aim of this study was to confirm preliminary histochemical studies of the bat pancreas and to identify and quantitate endocrine cells by immunocytochemical techniques in order to understand the ability of the bat to absorb these large amounts of glucose. endocrine cells were distributed in ... | 1998 | 9593652 |
| the effect of bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) dispersal on seed germination in eastern mediterranean habitats. | the fruit-bat rousettus aegyptiacus (pteropodidae) in israel consumes a variety of cultivated and wild fruits. the aim of this study was to explore some of its qualities as a dispersal agent for six fruit-bearing plant species. the feeding roosts of the fruit-bat are located an average of 30 m from its feeding trees and thus the bats disperse the seeds away from the shade of the parent canopy. the bat spits out large seeds but may pass some (2%) of the small seeds (<4 mg) through its digestive t ... | 1995 | 28307055 |
| effect of water restriction on energy and water balance and osmoregulation of the fruit bat rousettus aegyptiacus. | the energy budget, water balance and osmoregulation of the fruit bat, rousettus aegyptiacus, were studied during normal hydration and during water restriction (oven-dried apple diet). the water input and output were balanced during both normal hydration and water restriction. the kidney of the fruit bat is well adapted to handle the water load from its fruit diet by excreting large volumes (14% of the body mass per day) of dilute urine (113 +/- 25 mosmol.kg h2o-1) as well as reducing urine volum ... | 1993 | 8254118 |
| methylmalonic acid metabolism and nervous-system fatty acids in cobalamin-deficient fruit bats receiving supplements of methionine, valine and isoleucine. | cobalamin neuropathy was produced in cape fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) by a cobalamin-free diet combined with intermittent exposure to nitrous oxide, which inactivates cobalamin. cobalamin-deficient bats had low hepatic methylmalonyl-coa mutase holoenzyme activity, with elevated plasma and urinary methylmalonic acid levels. no significant changes could be demonstrated in the concentration of odd- or branched-chain fatty acids in the nervous system. supplementation of the cobalamin-free die ... | 1991 | 1674859 |
| cobalamin neuropathy. is s-adenosylhomocysteine toxicity a factor? | cobalamin neuropathy was produced in cape fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) by a cobalamin-free diet combined with intermittent exposure to nitrous oxide, which inactivates cobalamin. there were no significant differences in s-adenosylmethionine/s-adenosylhomocysteine ratios in the central nervous system of cobalamin-deficient and cobalamin-replete bats. taken with other data there are no grounds of support for a hypothesis that cobalamin neuropathy is the result of impaired methylation, howeve ... | 1990 | 2327959 |
| haematology and iron status of the egyptian fruit bat, rousettus aegyptiacus. | 1. haematological values and iron status of wild and captive fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) were determined. 2. plasma iron concentrations were 175 micrograms/dl in wild males, and 286-316 micrograms/dl in captive bats. 3. total splenic stores were small (around 100 micrograms) in relation to hepatic stores (3 mg) and total haem iron (2.6 mg). 4. haemoglobin levels, red cell counts and haematocrits were unusually high and mean corpuscular volumes low. 5. lactating wild bats showed no deficit ... | 1988 | 2900095 |
| peripheral nerve conduction in the fruit bat with nitrous oxide induced vitamin b12 deficiency. | fruit bats rousettus aegyptiacus were depleted of vitamin b12 by exposure to the gas nitrous oxide (n2o-oxygen, 1:1 v/v) for 57-80 days. conduction velocities along the fastest fibres of the ulnar nerve, as well as the first and second peaks, were similar in control and vitamin b12 depleted animals. it is concluded that neurological impairment resulting from depletion of vitamin b12 by n2o does not involve significant impairment of ulnar nerve function in this species. | 1987 | 2890467 |
| tissue vitamin b12 levels in bat sucklings (rousettus aegyptiacus) born of vitamin b12 deficient mothers. | the weights of the brains of vitamin b12-deficient baby bats (rousettus aegyptiacus, 4-20 day old) were slightly lower than those of b12-replete infant bats. liver and kidney organ weights were similar in the two groups. brain and liver b12 levels of b12-deficient baby bats were significantly lower than those of replete controls. kidney b12 levels in deficient babies were about one quarter those of the replete babies. brain vitamin b12 levels in b12-deficient sucklings were significantly lower t ... | 1986 | 3956153 |
| nitrous oxide induced vitamin b12 deficiency: measurement of methylation reactions in the fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | nitrous oxide induced inhibition of methionine synthetase activity has been proposed as a suitable model for the myelopathy associated with vitamin b12 deficiency. this suggests a defect in methyl group metabolism. the fruit bat has been used previously as a model for dietary induced vitamin b12 deficiency. however in the nitrous oxide treated fruit bat with neurological symptoms: no changes in [14c]ethanolamine incorporation into liver and brain phospholipids could be detected. no changes in sy ... | 1986 | 3949064 |
| dissociation of methionine synthetase (ec 2.1.1.13) activity and impairment of dna synthesis in fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) with nitrous oxide-induced vitamin b12 deficiency. | 1. the effect of methylcobalamin inactivation by the anaesthetic gas nitrous oxide on the activity of the cobalamin-dependent methionine synthetase (5-methyltetrahydrofolate homocysteine methyltransferase; ec 2.1.1.13) reaction, and on dna synthesis, in the fruit bat rousettus aegyptiacus, was examined. 2. methionine synthetase activity in the liver of bats exposed to n2o-oxygen (50:50, v/v) for 90 min/d averaged 32% of that of controls after 4 d of exposure and only 5% after 12-14 weeks of expo ... | 1986 | 3663573 |
| plasma amino acids and tissue methionine levels in fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) with nitrous oxide-induced vitamin b12 deficiency. | the effect of methylcobalamin inactivation by the gas nitrous oxide on plasma amino acid and tissue methionine levels in fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) was examined. animals exposed to n2o-oxygen (1:1, v/v) for 90 min daily received a fruit diet with or without methionine or betaine supplements. exposure and diets were continued for up to 17 weeks or until neurological impairment and muscular weakness was established. all the groups exposed to n2o had significantly lower liver, brain and pla ... | 1985 | 4063293 |
| effect of l-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-dopa) and methionine on tissue s-adenosylmethionine concentrations in cobalamin-inactivated fruit bats. | the fruit bat rousettus aegyptiacus develops cobalamin deficiency when exposed to the gas nitrous oxide (n2o). the effect of dietary methionine (600 mg/kg fruit) or l-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-dopa, 100 mg/kg body weight daily) on brain and liver s-adenosylmethionine (adomet) concentrations, and on the neurological impairment was studied. methionine supplementation significantly delayed the onset of neurological impairment (p less than 0.01) and resulted in a 2.4 fold increase in liver adom ... | 1984 | 6526598 |
| lipid composition of the brain in the cobalamin inactivated fruit bat rousettus aegyptiacus. | the fruit bat rousettus aegyptiacus, when exposed to nitrous oxide (n2o) for 8-10 weeks develops cobalamin deficiency and neurological impairment leading to ataxia and death. we report the lipid composition of cerebral tissue of control animals and impaired animals following exposure to n2o, with or without dietary folic acid supplements. there were no statistically significant differences in the concentrations of total lipids, phospholipid, glycosphingolipid, plasmalogen and cholesterol between ... | 1984 | 6500845 |
| tissue s-adenosylmethionine levels in fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) with nitrous oxide-induced neuropathy. | the effect of cobalamin inactivation by the anaesthetic gas nitrous oxide on the concentration of s-adenosylmethionine (ado met) in brain and liver of fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) was examined. test animals exposed to n2o-oxygen (50:50, v/v) developed ataxia and paralysis leading to death after an average of 9.8 weeks (n6). animals receiving pteroylmonoglutamic acid supplements in the diet became ataxic earlier (mean 8.8 weeks) while those receiving methionine supplements survived for sign ... | 1983 | 6615764 |
| lipid composition and sphingolipid fatty acids of myelin in fruit bat brain. | myelin was isolated from the brain of adult fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) in a discontinuous sucrose gradient. cholesterol comprised 189.0 mol/100 mol lipid phosphorus, galactolipids 60.3 mol/100 mol phosphorus and plasmalogens 32.5 mol/100 mol phosphorus. choline and ethanolamine glycerophosphatide were present in nearly equal amounts followed by serine glycerophosphatide, sphingomyelin and inositol glycerophosphatides. the fatty acid composition of sphingomyelin and non-hydroxy cerebrosid ... | 1983 | 20487962 |
| lipid composition of the spinal cord in the fruit bat rousettus aegyptiacus. | spinal cords were removed from ten egyptian fruit bats rousettus aegyptiacus and the lipids analysed. the major phosphatides were choline glycerophosphatide (32.3%), ethanolamine glycerophosphatide (29.3%), serine glycerophosphatide (15.2%) and phosphatidylinositol (8.4%). sphingomyelin accounted for 13.8% of the phospholipid. glycosphingolipids amounted to 43.2 mol/100 mol lipid phosphorus, plasmalogens 32.5 mol/100 mol p and cholesterol 159.5 mol/100 mol p. the fatty acid composition of whole ... | 1983 | 6883997 |
| fatty acid composition of synaptosomes from normal and cobalamin deficient bat brain. | 1. synaptosomes were prepared from the brain of cobalamin deficient and cobalamin supplemented fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) by a floatation method on a discontinuous sucrose gradient. 2. there were no significant differences in fatty acid composition between the deficient and supplemented bats. 3. the odd chain fatty acid 15:0 amounted to 0.2% of the total fatty acids in both groups. 4. we conclude that the fatty acids of synaptosomal lipids are not a factor in the development of neural dy ... | 1982 | 7172626 |
| lipid composition of the brain in the vitamin b12-deficient fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) with neurological impairment. | | 1981 | 7276938 |
| the myoglobin of the fruit-bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | the myoglobin of the fruit-bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) has been investigated. it has 153 amino acid residues. when the possible therian ancestral myoglobin is taken into consideration, the myoglobin of the fruit-bat resembles most closely that of the hedgehog. | 1977 | 861250 |
| structure of the penis in the fruit bat rousettus aegyptiacus (megachiroptera). | | 1976 | 1003048 |
| the feeding pattern of the fruit bat rousettus aegyptiacus in captivity. | an electrical apparatus was designed to record continuously the feeding activity of either a colony of 30 fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) or single bats in captivity. the endogenous feeding activity rhythm was synchronized by change in the external light-dark cycle. during june to august (winter), the bats consumed an average of 96 g sliced banana, equal to 76 g wet weight/100 g body weight per 24 hours or 15 g dry weight/100 g body weight per 24 hours. the feeding period began shortly after ... | 1976 | 1019753 |
| [ionic analysis of the serum of bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) and the elaboration of a physiologic solution (c.s.i.) for the perfusion of digital alar vein]. | | 1969 | 5394037 |
| [cholinergic innervation of digital wing vein and artery of bats (rousettus aegyptiacus)]. | | 1969 | 5394034 |
| the breeding biology of the fruit bat rousettus aegyptiacus e. geoffroy living at o degrees 22's. | | 1968 | 4386699 |
| mapping the distribution of language related genes foxp1, foxp2 and cntnap2 in the brains of vocal learning bat species. | genes including foxp2, foxp1 and cntnap2, have been implicated in human speech and language phenotypes, pointing to a role in the development of normal language-related circuitry in the brain. although speech and language are unique human phenotypes, a comparative approach is possible by addressing language-relevant traits in animal model systems. one such trait, vocal learning, represents an essential component of human spoken language, and is shared by cetaceans, pinnipeds, elephants, some bir ... | 2018 | 29297931 |
| neutralizing antibodies against flaviviruses, babanki virus, and rift valley fever virus in ugandan bats. | introduction:a number of arboviruses have previously been isolated from naturally-infected east african bats, however the role of bats in arbovirus maintenance is poorly understood. the aim of this study was to investigate the exposure history of ugandan bats to a panel of arboviruses.materials and methods:insectivorous and fruit bats were captured from multiple locations throughout uganda during 2009 and 2011-2013. all serum samples were tested for neutralizing antibodies against west nile viru ... | 2018 | 29511459 |
| development of a reverse genetics system for sosuga virus allows rapid screening of antiviral compounds. | sosuga virus (sosv) is a recently discovered zoonotic paramyxovirus isolated from a single human case in 2012; it has been ecologically and epidemiologically associated with transmission by the egyptian rousette bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). bats have long been recognized as sources of novel zoonotic pathogens, including highly lethal paramyxoviruses like nipah virus (niv) and hendra virus (hev). the ability of sosv to cause severe human disease supports the need for studies on sosv pathogenesis ... | 2018 | 29522528 |
| antibody responses to marburg virus in egyptian rousette bats and their role in protection against infection. | egyptian rousette bats (erbs) are reservoir hosts for the marburg virus (marv). the immune dynamics and responses to marv infection in erbs are poorly understood, and limited information exists on the role of antibodies in protection of erbs against marv infection. here, we determine the duration of maternal immunity to marv in juvenile erbs, and evaluate the duration of the antibody response to marv in bats naturally or experimentally infected with the virus. we further explore whether antibodi ... | 2018 | 29439384 |
| distribution, number, and certain neurochemical identities of infracortical white matter neurons in the brains of three megachiropteran bat species. | a large population of infracortical white matter neurons, or white matter interstitial cells (wmics), are found within the subcortical white matter of the mammalian telencephalon. we examined wmics in three species of megachiropterans, megaloglossus woermanni, casinycteris argynnis, and rousettus aegyptiacus, using immunohistochemical and stereological techniques. immunostaining for neuronal nuclear marker (neun) revealed substantial numbers of wmics in each species-m. woermanni 124,496 wmics, c ... | 2020 | 32103488 |
| a viral metagenomic survey identifies known and novel mammalian viruses in bats from saudi arabia. | bats are implicated as natural reservoirs for a wide range of zoonotic viruses including sars and mers coronaviruses, ebola, marburg, nipah, hendra, rabies and other lyssaviruses. accordingly, many one health surveillance and viral discovery programs have focused on bats. in this report we present viral metagenomic data from bats collected in the kingdom of saudi arabia [ksa]. unbiased high throughput sequencing of fecal samples from 72 bat individuals comprising four species; lesser mouse-taile ... | 2019 | 30969980 |
| retinal ganglion cell topography and spatial resolving power in echolocating and non-echolocating bats. | bats are nocturnal mammals known for their ability to echolocate, yet all bats can see, and most bats of the family pteropodidae (fruit bats) do not echolocate - instead they rely mainly on vision and olfaction to forage. we investigated whether echolocating bats, given their limited reliance on vision, have poorer spatial resolving power (srp) than pteropodids and whether tongue click echolocating fruit bats differ from non-echolocating fruit bats in terms of visual performance. we compared the ... | 2020 | 32818939 |
| asymptomatic infection of marburg virus reservoir bats is explained by a strategy of immunoprotective disease tolerance. | marburg virus (marv) is among the most virulent pathogens of primates, including humans. contributors to severe marv disease include immune response suppression and inflammatory gene dysregulation ("cytokine storm"), leading to systemic damage and often death. conversely, marv causes little to no clinical disease in its reservoir host, the egyptian rousette bat (erb). previous genomic and in vitro data suggest that a tolerant erb immune response may underlie marv avirulence, but no significant e ... | 2020 | 33157026 |
| wing: a suitable nonlethal tissue type for repeatable and rapid telomere length estimates in bats. | telomeres are used increasingly in ecology and evolution as biomarkers for ageing and environmental stress, and are typically measured from dna extracted from nonlethally sampled blood. however, obtaining blood is not always possible in field conditions and only limited amounts can be taken from small mammals, such as bats, which moreover lack nucleated red blood cells and hence yield relatively low amounts of dna. as telomere length can vary within species according to age and tissue, it is imp ... | 2020 | 33049101 |
| past and current advances in marburg virus disease: a review. | marburg virus (marv), along with the ebola virus, belongs to the family of filovirus and is cause of a lethal and severely affecting hemorrhagic fever. the marburgvirus genus includes two viruses: marv and ravn. marv has been recognized as one of utmost importance by the world health organization (who). the case fatality rate of the virus ranges from 24.0 to 88.0% which demonstrates its lethal nature and the need for its widespread information. the first case of the marburgvirus disease (mard) w ... | 2020 | 32920568 |
| haematological, serum biochemical and electrophoretic data on healthy captive egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). | bats play a key role as reservoir hosts of many emerging viral diseases with zoonotic potential. however, little is known about the laboratory reference intervals (ris) of bats, especially egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). the aim of this study was to obtain haematological, biochemical and electrophoretic ris from captive fruit bats. blood was collected from 21 r. aegyptiacus (11 females and 10 males). complete blood cell count was performed using an impedance cell counter followed by ... | 2020 | 32838610 |
| sars-cov-2 in fruit bats, ferrets, pigs, and chickens: an experimental transmission study. | in december, 2019, a novel zoonotic severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus emerged in china. the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sars-cov-2) became pandemic within weeks and the number of human infections and severe cases is increasing. we aimed to investigate the susceptibilty of potential animal hosts and the risk of anthropozoonotic spill-over infections. | 2020 | 32838346 |
| six reference-quality genomes reveal evolution of bat adaptations. | bats possess extraordinary adaptations, including flight, echolocation, extreme longevity and unique immunity. high-quality genomes are crucial for understanding the molecular basis and evolution of these traits. here we incorporated long-read sequencing and state-of-the-art scaffolding protocols1 to generate, to our knowledge, the first reference-quality genomes of six bat species (rhinolophus ferrumequinum, rousettus aegyptiacus, phyllostomus discolor, myotis myotis, pipistrellus kuhlii and mo ... | 2020 | 32699395 |
| visual adaptability and retinal characterization of the egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus, pteropodidae): new insights into photoreceptors spatial distribution and melanosomal activity. | our study was conducted to characterize the retinal structure of the egyptian fruit bat, rousettus aegyptiacus to determine the distribution of photoreceptors and melanosomal populations in various retinal zones. also, we paid attention to the specific structural and functional adaptations related to their nocturnal habits. we analyzed the retinae of 12 adult male egyptian fruit bats using morphometrical, histological, ultrastructural, and immunoblotting standard techniques. histological finding ... | 2020 | 32563026 |
| isolation of candidatus bartonella rousetti and other bat-associated bartonellae from bats and their flies in zambia. | bat-associated bartonellae, including bartonella mayotimonensis and candidatus bartonella rousetti, were recently identified as emerging and potential zoonotic agents, respectively. however, there is no report of bat-associated bartonellae in zambia. thus, we aimed to isolate and characterize bartonella spp. from bats and bat flies captured in zambia by culturing and pcr. overall, bartonella spp. were isolated from six out of 36 bats (16.7%), while bartonella dna was detected in nine out of 19 b ... | 2020 | 32545824 |
| ectoparasitic bat flies (eucampsipoda hyrtlii) detected on the egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) in antalya, turkey. | the aim of this study was to report on bat flies collected from a fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus geoffroy) which was found on the ground for an unknown reason, and was brought to a private veterinary clinic in antalya. bat flies on the bat that were brought to the clinic were sampled during examination of the bat. fly samples were stored in glass tubes containing 70% alcohol and then refrigerated (+4 °c). species identification was made by using morphological characters under a stereo microsco ... | 2020 | 32482046 |
| bat thermoregulation in the heat: limits to evaporative cooling capacity in three southern african bats. | high environmental temperatures pose significant physiological challenges related to energy and water balance for small endotherms. although there is a growing literature on the effect of high temperatures on birds, comparable data are scarcer for bats. those data that do exist suggest that roost microsite may predict tolerance of high air temperatures. to examine this possibility further, we quantified the upper limits to heat tolerance and evaporative cooling capacity in three southern african ... | 2020 | 32364970 |
| egyptian rousette ifn-ω subtypes elicit distinct antiviral effects and transcriptional responses in conspecific cells. | bats host a number of viruses that cause severe disease in humans without experiencing overt symptoms of disease themselves. while the mechanisms underlying this ability to avoid sickness are not known, deep sequencing studies of bat genomes have uncovered genetic adaptations that may have functional importance in the antiviral response of these animals. egyptian rousette bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) are the natural reservoir hosts of marburg virus (marv). in contrast to humans, these bats do no ... | 2020 | 32231668 |
| experimental infection of egyptian rousette bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) with sosuga virus demonstrates potential transmission routes for a bat-borne human pathogenic paramyxovirus. | in august 2012, a wildlife biologist became severely ill after becoming infected with a novel paramyxovirus, termed sosuga virus. in the weeks prior to illness, the patient worked with multiple species of bats in south sudan and uganda, including egyptian rousette bats (erbs: rousettus aegyptiacus). a follow-up study of ugandan bats found multiple wild-caught erbs to test positive for sosv in liver and spleen. to determine the competency of these bats to act as a natural reservoir host for sosv ... | 2020 | 32119657 |
| a novel poxvirus isolated from an egyptian fruit bat in israel. | an egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) from the zoological gardens, at tel aviv, israel, showed pox-like clinical signs including vesicular and nodular skin lesions on the wings. cell culture isolation, histopathology, electron microscopy and molecular analysis, revealed the presence of a novel bat poxvirus. future research is needed to determine whether this virus can affect human health. | 2020 | 32100464 |
| spatial networks differ when food supply changes: foraging strategy of egyptian fruit bats. | animals are faced with a range of ecological constraints that shape their behavioural decisions. habitat features that affect resource abundance will also have an impact, especially as regards spatial distribution, which will in turn affect associations between the animals. here we utilised a network approach, using spatial and genetic data, to describe patterns in use of space (foraging sites) by free-ranging egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) at the dakhla oasis in egypt. we observed ... | 2020 | 32097434 |
| isolation of angola-like marburg virus from egyptian rousette bats from west africa. | marburg virus (marv) causes sporadic outbreaks of severe marburg virus disease (mvd). most mvd outbreaks originated in east africa and field studies in east africa, south africa, zambia, and gabon identified the egyptian rousette bat (erb; rousettus aegyptiacus) as a natural reservoir. however, the largest recorded mvd outbreak with the highest case-fatality ratio happened in 2005 in angola, where direct spillover from bats was not shown. here, collaborative studies by the centers for disease c ... | 2020 | 31980636 |
| anatomical features of the tongue of two chiropterans endemic in the egyptian fauna; the egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) and insectivorous bat (pipistrellus kuhlii). | the current study aimed to investigate the tongue (lingual) morphometry, histology, and histochemistry of two chiropterans endemic in the egyptian fauna, and having different feeding preferences. the tongues of nine adult individuals of each species were utilized in our investigation. the tongue of fruit-eating bat was observed relatively longer than the one of insect-eating bat. grossly, the insect-eating bat had a lingual prominence on the dorsum of lingual body, while the fruit-eating bat had ... | 2020 | 31955907 |
| computed tomography lung volume differs between vertical and inverted positioning for egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). | this prospective study characterizes the impact of positioning on the pulmonary volume and pulmonary atelectasis in egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). the soft tissue appearance of atelectactic pulmonary parenchyma can obscure or mask pulmonary pathology. soft tissue within healthy lung parenchyma caused by atelectasis can efface the margins of pathology, such as pulmonary metastasis or pneumonia, due to overlapping attenuation profiles. pulmonary atelectasis is an unwanted side effect ... | 2020 | 31926521 |
| detection of novel orthoreovirus genomes in shrew (crocidura hirta) and fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | orthoreoviruses have been indentified in several mammals, however, there is no information about orthoreoviruses in shrews. in this study, we screened wild animals in zambia, including shrews, rodents, and bats for the detection of orthoreoviruses. two orthoreovirus rna genomes were detected from a shrew intestinal-contents (1/24) and a bat colon (1/96) sample by reverse-transcription (rt)-pcr targeting the rna-dependent rna polymerase gene of orthoreoviruses. phylogenetic analyses revealed that ... | 2020 | 31866632 |
| rousette bat dendritic cells overcome marburg virus-mediated antiviral responses by upregulation of interferon-related genes while downregulating proinflammatory disease mediators. | dysregulated and maladaptive immune responses are at the forefront of human diseases caused by infection with zoonotic viral hemorrhagic fever viruses. elucidating mechanisms of how the natural animal reservoirs of these viruses coexist with these agents without overt disease, while permitting sufficient replication to allow for transmission and maintenance in a population, is important for understanding the viral ecology and spillover to humans. the egyptian rousette bat (erb) has been identifi ... | 2019 | 31801842 |
| activation of rnase l in egyptian rousette bat-derived roni/7 cells is dependent primarily on oas3 and independent of mavs signaling. | bats are reservoirs for many rna viruses that are highly pathogenic in humans yet relatively apathogenic in the natural host. it has been suggested that differences in innate immunity are responsible. the antiviral oas-rnase l pathway is well characterized in humans, but there is little known about its activation and antiviral activity in bats. during infection, oass, upon sensing double-stranded rna (dsrna), produce 2'-5' oligoadenylates (2-5a), leading to activation of rnase l which degrades v ... | 2019 | 31719180 |
| rousettus aegyptiacus bats do not support productive nipah virus replication. | nipah virus (niv) is a bat-borne zoonotic pathogen that can cause severe respiratory distress and encephalitis upon spillover into humans. niv is capable of infecting a broad range of hosts including humans, pigs, ferrets, dogs, cats, hamsters, and at least 2 genera of bats. little is known about the biology of niv in the bat reservoir. in this study, we evaluate the potential for the egyptian fruit bat (efb), rousettus aegyptiacus, to serve as a model organism for studying niv in bats. our data ... | 2020 | 31682727 |
| characterization of bifidobacterium species in feaces of the egyptian fruit bat: description of b. vespertilionis sp. nov. and b. rousetti sp. nov. | fifteen bifidobacterial strains were obtained from faeces of rousettus aegyptiacus; after grouping them by rapd pcr only eight were selected and characterized. analysis of 16s rrna and of five housekeeping (hsp60, rpob, clpc, dnaj, dna g) genes revealed that these eight strains were classified into five clusters: cluster i (rst 8 and rst 16t), cluster ii (rst 9t and rst 27), cluster iii (rst 7 and rst 11), cluster iv (rst 19), cluster v (rst 17) were closest to bifidobacterium avesanii dsm 10068 ... | 2019 | 31585749 |
| long-term and persistent vocal plasticity in adult bats. | bats exhibit a diverse and complex vocabulary of social communication calls some of which are believed to be learned during development. this ability to produce learned, species-specific vocalizations - a rare trait in the animal kingdom - requires a high-degree of vocal plasticity. bats live extremely long lives in highly complex and dynamic social environments, which suggests that they might also retain a high degree of vocal plasticity in adulthood, much as humans do. here, we report persiste ... | 2019 | 31358755 |
| survey of hepatocystis parasites of fruit bats in the amurum forest reserve, nigeria, identifies first host record for rousettus aegyptiacus. | parasites of the genus hepatocystis are close relatives of plasmodium that frequently infect epauletted fruit bats across west and east africa. our understanding of susceptible hosts and prevalence of infection of hepatocystis remains fragmented. non-invasive sampling of bat assemblages in representative habitats critically contribute to haemosporidian parasite distribution maps. here, we report on a survey of hepatocystis parasite infections in bats undertaken over two consecutive years in a pr ... | 2019 | 31298168 |
| paramyxo- and coronaviruses in rwandan bats. | a high diversity of corona- and paramyxoviruses have been detected in different bat species at study sites worldwide, including africa, however no biosurveillance studies from rwanda have been reported. in this study, samples from bats collected from caves in ruhengeri, rwanda, were tested for the presence of corona- and paramyxoviral rna using reverse transcription pcr assays. positive results were further characterized by dna sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. in addition to morphological i ... | 2019 | 31269631 |
| bats are unusually insensitive to brief low-frequency tones. | bats use brief calls for echolocation, suggesting that they might be more sensitive to brief sounds than non-echolocating mammals. to investigate this possibility, absolute thresholds for brief tones were determined for four species of bats: the common vampire bat (desmodus rotundus) and the greater spear-nosed bat (phyllostomus hastatus), both of which use frequency-modulated calls, the egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus), an echolocator that uses tongue-clicks rather than laryngeal call ... | 2019 | 31147738 |
| marburgvirus in egyptian fruit bats, zambia. | we detected marburg virus genome in egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) captured in zambia in september 2018. the virus was closely related phylogenetically to the viruses that previously caused marburg outbreaks in the democratic republic of the congo. this finding demonstrates that zambia is at risk for marburg virus disease. | 2019 | 31146800 |
| recent advances in marburgvirus research. | marburgviruses are closely related to ebolaviruses and cause a devastating disease in humans. in 2012, we published a comprehensive review of the first 45 years of research on marburgviruses and the disease they cause, ranging from molecular biology to ecology. spurred in part by the deadly ebola virus outbreak in west africa in 2013-2016, research on all filoviruses has intensified. not meant as an introduction to marburgviruses, this article instead provides a synopsis of recent progress in ma ... | 2019 | 31131088 |
| food for sex in bats revealed as producer males reproduce with scrounging females. | food sharing is often evolutionarily puzzling, because the provider's benefits are not always clear. sharing among kin may increase indirect fitness [1], but when non-kin are involved, different mechanisms were suggested to act. occasionally, "tolerated theft" [2, 3] is observed, merely because defending a resource is not cost effective. sharing may also be explained as "costly signaling" [4, 5], where individuals signal their high qualities by distributing acquired resources, as has been sugges ... | 2019 | 31130455 |
| a metaanalysis of bat phylogenetics and positive selection based on genomes and transcriptomes from 18 species. | historically, the evolution of bats has been analyzed using a small number of genetic loci for many species or many genetic loci for a few species. here we present a phylogeny of 18 bat species, each of which is represented in 1,107 orthologous gene alignments used to build the tree. we generated a transcriptome sequence of hypsignathus monstrosus, the african hammer-headed bat, and additional transcriptome sequence for rousettus aegyptiacus, the egyptian fruit bat. we then combined these data w ... | 2019 | 31113885 |
| spindle cell tumor in a brown long-eared bat (plecotus auritus). | most reports of neoplasia in bats are in captive egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus), a megachiropteran species. only three reports of neoplasia in microchiropteran species have been reported. we report the detection of a tumor in a wild brown long-eared bat (plecotus auritus), a microchiropteran species, in england. histolopathology indicated the mass was a spindle cell tumor, likely of smooth muscle origin, which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. | 2019 | 31081737 |
| comparative analysis of serologic cross-reactivity using convalescent sera from filovirus-experimentally infected fruit bats. | with the exception of reston and bombali viruses, the marburgviruses and ebolaviruses (family filoviridae) cause outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fever in sub-saharan africa. the egyptian rousette bat (erb) is a natural reservoir host for the marburgviruses and evidence suggests that bats are also natural reservoirs for the ebolaviruses. although the search for the natural reservoirs of the ebolaviruses has largely involved serosurveillance of the bat population, there are no validated serological ... | 2019 | 31040343 |
| studying the microbiota of bats: accuracy of direct and indirect samplings. | given the recurrent bat-associated disease outbreaks in humans and recent advances in metagenomics sequencing, the microbiota of bats is increasingly being studied. however, obtaining biological samples directly from wild individuals may represent a challenge, and thus, indirect passive sampling (without capturing bats) is sometimes used as an alternative. currently, it is not known whether the bacterial community assessed using this approach provides an accurate representation of the bat microb ... | 2019 | 30847068 |
| clinical, histopathologic, and immunohistochemical characterization of experimental marburg virus infection in a natural reservoir host, the egyptian rousette bat (rousettus aegyptiacus). | egyptian rousette bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) are natural reservoir hosts of marburg virus (marv), and ravn virus (ravv; collectively called marburgviruses) and have been linked to human cases of marburg virus disease (mvd). we investigated the clinical and pathologic effects of experimental marv infection in egyptian rousettes through a serial euthanasia study and found clear evidence of mild but transient disease. three groups of nine, captive-born, juvenile male bats were inoculated subcutan ... | 2019 | 30832364 |
| discovery and characterization of bukakata orbivirus (reoviridae:orbivirus), a novel virus from a ugandan bat. | while serological and virological evidence documents the exposure of bats to medically-important arboviruses, their role as reservoirs or amplifying hosts is less well-characterized. we describe a novel orbivirus (reoviridae:orbivirus) isolated from an egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus leachii) trapped in 2013 in uganda and named bukakata orbivirus. this is the fifth orbivirus isolated from a bat, however genetic information had previously only been available for one bat-associated orbiv ... | 2019 | 30832334 |
| co-circulation and excretion dynamics of diverse rubula- and related viruses in egyptian rousette bats from south africa. | the egyptian rousette bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) has previously been implicated as the natural host of a zoonotic rubulavirus; however, its association with rubulaviruses has been studied to a limited extent. urine, spleen, and other organs collected from the r. aegyptiacus population within south africa were tested with a hemi-nested rt-pcr assay targeting a partial polymerase gene region of viruses from the avula- and rubulavirus genera. urine was collected over a 14-month period to study the ... | 2019 | 30626055 |
| antibody-mediated virus neutralization is not a universal mechanism of marburg, ebola, or sosuga virus clearance in egyptian rousette bats. | although bats are increasingly being recognized as natural reservoir hosts of emerging zoonotic viruses, little is known about how they control and clear virus infection in the absence of clinical disease. here, we test >50 convalescent sera from egyptian rousette bats (erbs) experimentally primed or prime-boosted with marburg virus, ebola virus, or sosuga virus for the presence of virus-specific neutralizing antibodies, using infectious reporter viruses. after serum neutralization testing, we c ... | 2019 | 30590775 |
| sars-like coronavirus wiv1-cov does not replicate in egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus). | severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars)-like wiv1-coronavirus (cov) was first isolated from rhinolophus sinicus bats and can use the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ace2) receptor. in the current study, we investigate the ability of wiv1-cov to infect rousettus aegyptiacus bats. no clinical signs were observed throughout the experiment. furthermore, only four oropharyngeal swabs and two respiratory tissues, isolated on day 3 post inoculation, were found positive for viral rna. two out of ... | 2018 | 30572566 |
| productive propagation of rift valley fever phlebovirus vaccine strain mp-12 in rousettus aegyptiacus fruit bats. | rift valley fever phlebovirus (rvfv), the causative agent of an emerging zoonotic disease in africa and arabia, can infect a variety of species, predominantly ruminants, camelids, and humans. while clinical symptoms are mostly absent in adult ruminants and camelids, rvfv infection may lead to a serious, sometimes fatal disease in humans. virus transmissions between individuals and between species mainly occur through mosquito bites, but direct or even indirect contact with infectious materials m ... | 2018 | 30513679 |
| human exposure to novel bartonella species from contact with fruit bats. | twice a year in southwestern nigeria, during a traditional bat festival, community participants enter designated caves to capture bats, which are then consumed for food or traded. we investigated the presence of bartonella species in egyptian fruit bats (rousettus aegyptiacus) and bat flies (eucampsipoda africana) from these caves and assessed whether bartonella infections had occurred in persons from the surrounding communities. our results indicate that these bats and flies harbor bartonella s ... | 2018 | 30457529 |
| transcriptomics reveal antiviral gene induction in the egyptian rousette bat is antagonized in vitro by marburg virus infection. | the egyptian rousette bat (erb) is the only known marburg virus (marv) reservoir host. erbs develop a productive marv infection with low viremia and shedding but no overt disease, suggesting this virus is efficiently controlled by erb antiviral responses. this dynamic would contrast with humans, where marv-mediated interferon (ifn) antagonism early in infection is thought to contribute to the severe, often fatal disease. the newly-annotated erb genome and transcriptome have now enabled us to use ... | 2018 | 30400182 |
| survey of ebola viruses in frugivorous and insectivorous bats in guinea, cameroon, and the democratic republic of the congo, 2015-2017. | to clarify the role of bats in the ecology of ebola viruses, we assessed the prevalence of ebola virus antibodies in a large-scale sample of bats collected during 2015-2017 from countries in africa that have had previous ebola outbreaks (guinea, the democratic republic of the congo) or are at high risk for outbreaks (cameroon). we analyzed 4,022 blood samples of bats from >12 frugivorous and 27 insectivorous species; 2-37 (0.05%-0.92%) bats were seropositive for zaire and 0-30 (0%-0.75%) bats fo ... | 2018 | 30307845 |
| marburg virus viral protein 35 inhibits protein kinase r activation in a cell type-specific manner. | protein kinase r (pkr) is a key antiviral protein involved in sensing and restricting viral infections. here we analyzed the ability of marburg virus (marv) viral protein 35 (vp35) to inhibit pkr activation in human and bat cells. similar to the related ebola and lloviu viruses, marv vp35 was able to inhibit pkr activation in 293t cells. in contrast, we found that marv vp35 did not inhibit human or bat pkr activation in human glioblastoma u-251-mg cells or a rousettus aegyptiacus cell line. addi ... | 2018 | 30165526 |
| a novel adenovirus isolated from the egyptian fruit bat in south africa is closely related to recent isolates from china. | recently a number of novel adenoviruses have been isolated from diverse bat species and from diverse geographical locations. we describe the isolation of a novel adenovirus (family adenoviridae, genus mastadenovirus) from a pool of liver and spleen tissue of an apparently healthy wild-caught egyptian fruit bat (rousettus aegyptiacus) in south africa. genetically the virus is most closely related to four mastadenoviruses recently isolated in china, from miniopterus schreibersi and rousettus lesch ... | 2018 | 29942032 |
| holy immune tolerance, batman! | bats are reservoir hosts of numerous viruses that cause severe pathology in humans. how bats cope with such pathogens remains elusive. in a recent issue of cell, pavlovich et al. (2018) describe several key adaptations in innate immune-related genes that suggest that the egyptian rousette fruit bat relies on immune tolerance mechanisms to manage viral infections. | 2018 | 29924972 |
| seroprevalence of filovirus infection of rousettus aegyptiacus bats in zambia. | bats are suspected to play important roles in the ecology of filoviruses, including ebolaviruses and marburgviruses. a cave-dwelling fruit bat, rousettus aegyptiacus, has been shown to be a reservoir of marburgviruses. using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with the viral glycoprotein antigen, we detected immunoglobulin g antibodies specific to multiple filoviruses in 158 of 290 serum samples of r aegyptiacus bats captured in zambia during the years 2014-2017. in particular, 43.8% of the bat ... | 2018 | 29889270 |