Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May;29(5):1029-1032.
doi: 10.3201/eid2905.221336.

No Substantial Histopathologic Changes in Mops condylurus Bats Naturally Infected with Bombali Virus, Kenya

Lauri Kareinen, Niina Airas, Sara T Kotka, Moses M Masika, Kirsi Aaltonen, Omu Anzala, Joseph Ogola, Paul W Webala, Olli Vapalahti, Tarja Sironen, Kristian M Forbes

No Substantial Histopathologic Changes in Mops condylurus Bats Naturally Infected with Bombali Virus, Kenya

Lauri Kareinen et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2023 May.

Abstract

We found similar mild perivascular inflammation in lungs of Bombali virus-positive and -negative Mops condylurus bats in Kenya, indicating the virus is well-tolerated. Our findings indicate M. condylurus bats may be a reservoir host for Bombali virus. Increased surveillance of these bats will be important to reduce potential virus spread.

Keywords: Bombali virus; Ebola; Finland; Kenya; Mops condylurus; bat pathology; reservoir host; transmission route; viruses; zoonoses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative tissue section from the lung of a bat in study of histopathologic changes in Mops condylurus bats naturally infected with Bombali virus, Kenya. We stained lung tissue sections from a Bombali virus–positive bat with hematoxylin and eosin. Arrow indicates focal minimal mononuclear cell infiltrate. Original magnification ×200.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representative bat lung tissue showing Ebola virus (EBOV) cytoplasmic granules in study of histopathologic changes in Mops condylurus bats naturally infected with Bombali virus, Kenya. We labeled lung tissue sections by using rabbit polyclonal serum against EBOV matrix protein VP40 and detected antigen by using a chromogenic horse radish peroxidase substrate. The sections were then counterstained with hematoxylin. Arrow indicates granular cytoplasmic immunopositivity for EBOV VP40 antigen. Original magnification ×400. VP, viral protein.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hayman DTS. Bats as viral reservoirs. Annu Rev Virol. 2016;3:77–99. 10.1146/annurev-virology-110615-042203 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Swanepoel R, Leman PA, Burt FJ, Zachariades NA, Braack LE, Ksiazek TG, et al. Experimental inoculation of plants and animals with Ebola virus. Emerg Infect Dis. 1996;2:321–5. 10.3201/eid0204.960407 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Leroy EM, Kumulungui B, Pourrut X, Rouquet P, Hassanin A, Yaba P, et al. Fruit bats as reservoirs of Ebola virus. Nature. 2005;438:575–6. 10.1038/438575a - DOI - PubMed
    1. Towner JS, Amman BR, Sealy TK, Carroll SAR, Comer JA, Kemp A, et al. Isolation of genetically diverse Marburg viruses from Egyptian fruit bats. PLoS Pathog. 2009;5:e1000536. 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000536 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Goldstein T, Anthony SJ, Gbakima A, Bird BH, Bangura J, Tremeau-Bravard A, et al. The discovery of Bombali virus adds further support for bats as hosts of ebolaviruses. Nat Microbiol. 2018;3:1084–9. 10.1038/s41564-018-0227-2 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types