Multi-species foraging on a Marburg virus bat reservoir.
Bosco Atukwatse1
Orin Cornille1
Johnson Muhereza1
Winfred Nsabimana1
Yahaya Ssemakula1
Eric Enyel2
Charlie Gould3
Arjun Gopalaswamy4
Alexander Braczkowski5
Understanding zoonotic spillover requires observation of reservoir-host interfaces, yet direct multi-species behavioral data remain rare. During long-term carnivore monitoring in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, we deployed camera traps at Python Cave, a roost for Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and known Marburg-virus reservoir. Over the course of 368 trap nights, we recorded > 14 vertebrate species engaging in predation, scavenging, guano foraging, or exploration across 321 events, alongside 214 human visitors. The shallow cave structure collapses spatial separation between reservoir hosts, predators, and people. These observations provide visual evidence of a multi-trophic exposure network at a known filovirus reservoir.
Camera-trap observations in Python Cave, Uganda, demonstrated that numerous wildlife species and humans interact closely with Rousettus aegyptiacus bats, the Marburg virus reservoir, highlighting an ecological interface that may facilitate spillover.
During long-term carnivore monitoring in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, we deployed camera traps at Python Cave, a roost for Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and known Marburg-virus reservoir. Over the course of 368 trap nights, we recorded > 14 vertebrate species engaging in predation, scavenging, guano foraging, or exploration across 321 events, alongside 214 human visitors. The shallow cave structure collapses spatial separation between reservoir hosts, predators, and people.
Method
camera traps; long-term carnivore monitoring; field surveillance
Geographic raw
Python Cave, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
Country inferred
Uganda
Zoonotic Surveillance1 records
Zoonotic SurveillanceExtraction confidence 0.85
Key finding
Camera-trap surveillance in Uganda recorded multiple vertebrate species and humans interacting with Marburg virus reservoir bats, indicating multi-species exposure at a zoonotic interface.
During long-term carnivore monitoring in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, we deployed camera traps at Python Cave, a roost for Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and known Marburg-virus reservoir. Over the course of 368 trap nights, we recorded >14 vertebrate species and 214 human visitors interacting at the site.
