Human Exposure to Bats, Rodents and Monkeys in Bangladesh

Abstract

Bats, rodents and monkeys are reservoirs for emerging zoonotic infections. We sought to describe the frequency of human exposure to these animals and the seasonal and geographic variation of these exposures in Bangladesh. During 2013-2016, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in a nationally representative sample of 10,002 households from 1001 randomly selected communities. We interviewed household members about exposures to bats, rodents and monkeys, including a key human-bat interface-raw date palm sap consumption. Respondents reported observing rodents (90%), bats (52%) and monkeys (2%) in or around their households, although fewer reported direct contact. The presence of monkeys around the household was reported more often in Sylhet division (7%) compared to other divisions. Households in Khulna (17%) and Rajshahi (13%) were more likely to report drinking date palm sap than in other divisions (1.5-5.6%). Date palm sap was mostly consumed during winter with higher frequencies in January (16%) and February (12%) than in other months (0-5.6%). There was a decreasing trend in drinking sap over the three years. Overall, we observed substantial geographic and seasonal patterns in human exposure to animals that could be sources of zoonotic disease. These findings could facilitate targeting emerging zoonoses surveillance, research and prevention efforts to areas and seasons with the highest levels of exposure.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Bat; Human exposure; Monkey; Rodent.

Figure 1

A Map of seven divisions of Bangladesh. B Percentage of households (N = 10,002) reporting presence of rodents and bats in and around the households and C direct contact with bats, presence of bat roosts and monkeys around the households across the seven divisions in Bangladesh. Error bars show 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 2

Percentage of communities (N = 1001) reporting presence of bats, rodents and monkeys in their communities. Error bars show 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 3

Spatial distributions of communities in Bangladesh reporting physical contact with a bat (A), bat consumption (B), bat hunting (C) and presence of monkeys around the households and physical contact with monkeys (D), (N = 1001).

Figure 4

Proportions and 95% confidence intervals of households reporting raw date palm sap consumption during November to April by year of the study and by division in Bangladesh; N = 5801.