Article
Publication summary
The <i>Eidolon helvum</i> fruit bat is one of the most widely distributed fruit bats in Africa and known to be a reservoir for several pathogenic viruses that can cause disease in animals and humans. To assess the risk of zoonotic spillover, we conducted a serological survey of 304 serum samples from <i>E. helvum</i> bats that were captured for human consumption in Makurdi, Nigeria. Using pseudotyped viruses, we screened 304 serum samples for neutralizing antibodies against viruses from the <i>Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Orthomyxoviridae</i> and <i>Paramyxoviridae</i> families. We report the presence of neutralizing antibodies against henipavirus lineage GH-M74a virus (odds ratio 6.23; <i>p</i> < 0.001), Nipah virus (odds ratio 4.04; <i>p</i> = 0.00031), bat influenza H17N10 virus (odds ratio 7.25; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and no significant association with Ebola virus (odds ratio 0.56; <i>p</i> = 0.375) in this bat cohort. The data suggest a potential risk of zoonotic spillover including the possible circulation of highly pathogenic viruses in <i>E. helvum</i> populations. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining sero-surveillance of <i>E. helvum,</i> and the necessity for further, more comprehensive investigations to monitor changes in virus prevalence, distribution over time, and across different geographic locations.