The Ebola epidemic in West Africa may have been triggered by contact with infected bats, researchers say today.
Dr Fabian Leendertz of the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Germany, and colleagues set out to identify the true source of the virus. They believed that Ebola was transmitted to humans either via larger wildlife or direct contact with bats.
So in April this year they went on a four-week field mission to the village Meliandou in south-eastern Guinea – the location of the first case, in a two year old boy.
First they monitored the large mammal populations close to the village. But this uncovered "no evidence for a concurrent outbreak" says Dr Leendertz.
Next, they looked at the second possible infection route, direct contact with bats. A hollow tree near the home of the small boy houses a family of "insectivorous free-tailed bats", also known as fruit bats.
After interviewing local people in Meliandou, the team discovered it is common for children to have contact with the bats through playing in and around the tree. Further contact takes place due to hunting and consumption of meat in the area. This route of infection "appears more plausible", they state.
Their report was published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. They now confirm that fruit bats are the most likely reservoir of Ebola. The virus has killed nearly 8,000 people during the latest outbreak in West Africa, according to the latest figures.
Saez, A. M. et al. Investigating the Zoonotic Origin of the West African Ebola Epidemic. EMBO Molecular Medicine 30 December 2014 doi: 10.15252/emmm.201404792
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