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Literature detail

Hendra virus survival does not explain spillover patterns and implicates relatively direct transmission routes from flying foxes to horses.

Gerardo Martin1 Raina Plowright2,3,1 Carla Chen4,1 David Kault1 Paul Selleck5 Lee F Skerratt1
Affiliations 5 institutions
  1. James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
  2. Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA.
  3. Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
  4. Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  5. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
PMID 25667321 2015 J Gen Virol eng ppublish
PubMed DOI Browse context

Article

Publication summary

Hendra virus (HeV) is lethal to humans and horses, and little is known about its epidemiology. Biosecurity restrictions impede advances, particularly on understanding pathways of transmission. Quantifying the environmental survival of HeV can be used for making decisions and to infer transmission pathways. We estimated HeV survival with a Weibull distribution and calculated parameters from data generated in laboratory experiments. HeV survival rates based on air temperatures 24 h after excretion ranged from 2 to 10 % in summer and from 12 to 33 % in winter. Simulated survival across the distribution of the black flying fox (Pteropus alecto), a key reservoir host, did not predict spillover events. Based on our analyses we concluded that the most likely pathways of transmission did not require long periods of virus survival and were likely to involve relatively direct contact with flying fox excreta shortly after excretion.

Animals Chiroptera Hendra Virus Henipavirus Infections Horses Microbial Viability Models, Statistical Seasons

Structured evidence records

Evidence records

2 total
Reservoir Ecology 1 records
Reservoir Ecology Extraction confidence 0.75
Key finding

Hendra virus survival in the environment was limited and did not correlate with spillover events, indicating that environmental persistence is not a key driver of transmission from flying foxes.

Virus
HeV
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

HeV survival rates based on air temperatures 24 h after excretion ranged from 2 to 10 % in summer and from 12 to 33 % in winter. Simulated survival across the distribution of the black flying fox (Pteropus alecto), a key reservoir host, did not predict spillover events.

Method
laboratory experiments; statistical modeling
Sample type
excreta
Spillover Event 1 records
Spillover Event Extraction confidence 0.95
Key finding

Hendra virus is most likely transmitted from flying foxes to horses through direct exposure to bat excreta rather than prolonged environmental survival.

Virus
HeV
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

The study concluded that the most likely pathways of Hendra virus transmission involved relatively direct contact with flying fox excreta shortly after excretion, implicating transmission from flying foxes to horses.

Method
laboratory experiments; modeling
Study design
laboratory experiment
Transmission direction
animal-to-human