OmniVira

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.
PMID25667321 DOI10.1099/vir.0.000073 Year2015 Journal The Journal of general virology J Gen Virol Languageeng Statusppublish

Abstract

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.

Supporting text Virus Host Location
Animals 1948 Chiroptera 371 Hendra Virus 39 Henipavirus Infections 65 Horses 52 Microbial Viability 2 Models, Statistical 11 Seasons 47

Evidence records

2 total
Zoonotic Surveillance
1 records · 1 evidence types
Evidence type Reservoir Ecology
1 records
OVE1940 Reservoir Ecology
Key finding

The black flying fox (Pteropus alecto) was identified and analyzed as a key reservoir host for Hendra virus, but simulated virus survival across its distribution did not explain spillover patterns.

Virus
Hendra virus
Host
black flying fox Pteropus alecto Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

Simulated survival across the distribution of the black flying fox (Pteropus alecto), a key reservoir host, did not predict spillover events.

Method
simulation modeling | Weibull survival model
Transmission Evidence
1 records · 1 evidence types
Evidence type Cross-species Transmission
1 records
OVE1941 Cross-species Transmission
Key finding

Hendra virus was inferred to transmit relatively directly from flying foxes to horses through exposure to fresh flying fox excreta.

Virus
Hendra virus
Host
horse Equus caballus Natural host Pteropus Natural host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

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.

Method
virus survival modeling | laboratory survival experiments | epidemiological inference
Study design
environmental viability analysis and epidemiological inference
Transmission direction
animal-to-animal