Prevalence of Henipavirus and Rubulavirus Antibodies in Pteropid Bats, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

To determine seroprevalence of viruses in bats in Papua New Guinea, we sampled 66 bats at 3 locations. We found a seroprevalence of 55% for henipavirus (Hendra or Nipah virus) and 56% for rubulavirus (Tioman or Menangle virus). Notably, 36% of bats surveyed contained antibodies to both types of viruses, indicating concurrent or consecutive infection.

Keywords

• viruses
• zoonoses
• Henipavirus
• rubulavirus
• orthoreovirus
• Henda virus