Fruit bats as reservoirs of Ebola virus (original) (raw)
- Brief Communication
- Published: 30 November 2005
- Brice Kumulungui1,
- Xavier Pourrut1,5,6,
- Pierre Rouquet1,
- Alexandre Hassanin2,
- Philippe Yaba1,
- André Délicat1,
- Janusz T. Paweska3,
- Jean-Paul Gonzalez4 &
- …
- Robert Swanepoel3
Nature volume 438, pages 575–576 (2005)Cite this article
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Bat species eaten by people in central Africa show evidence of symptomless Ebola infection.
Abstract
The first recorded human outbreak of Ebola virus was in 1976, but the wild reservoir of this virus is still unknown1. Here we test for Ebola in more than a thousand small vertebrates that were collected during Ebola outbreaks in humans and great apes between 2001 and 2003 in Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. We find evidence of asymptomatic infection by Ebola virus in three species of fruit bat, indicating that these animals may be acting as a reservoir for this deadly virus.
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Figure 1: Fruit bats as potential carriers of Ebola virus.
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Authors and Affiliations
- Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, BP 769, Gabon
Eric M. Leroy, Brice Kumulungui, Xavier Pourrut, Pierre Rouquet, Philippe Yaba & André Délicat - Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 5202, Paris, 75005, France
Alexandre Hassanin - National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Special Pathogens Unit, Private Bag X4, Sandringham, 2131, South Africa
Janusz T. Paweska & Robert Swanepoel - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UR178, Mahidol University at Salaya, Nakhonpathom, 73170, Thailand
Jean-Paul Gonzalez - Institut de Recherches pour le Développement, UR178
Eric M. Leroy & Xavier Pourrut - Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, BP 769, Gabon
Eric M. Leroy & Xavier Pourrut
Authors
- Eric M. Leroy
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar - Brice Kumulungui
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You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar - Philippe Yaba
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Correspondence toEric M. Leroy.
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Leroy, E., Kumulungui, B., Pourrut, X. et al. Fruit bats as reservoirs of Ebola virus.Nature 438, 575–576 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/438575a
- Published: 30 November 2005
- Issue Date: 01 December 2005
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/438575a
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Editorial Summary
Ebola virus: don't eat the bats
Since the first human cases of Ebola virus infection were recorded in 1976, much effort has gone into the search for a viral reservoir in wild animals. Now a candidate has been found. Tests in over a thousand small vertebrates from Gabon and the Republic of Congo reveal asymptomatic Ebola virus infection in three species of fruit bat. These are eaten by local populations, suggesting a possible route for human infection.