Abstract:
The Egyptian rousette bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) has previously been implicated as the
natural host of a zoonotic rubulavirus; however, its association with rubulaviruses has been studied
to a limited extent. Urine, spleen, and other organs collected from the R. aegyptiacus population
within South Africa were tested with a hemi-nested RT-PCR assay targeting a partial polymerase gene
region of viruses from the Avula- and Rubulavirus genera. Urine was collected over a 14-month period
to study the temporal dynamics of viral excretion. Diverse rubulaviruses, including viruses related to
human mumps and parainfluenza virus 2, were detected. Active excretion was identified during two
peak periods coinciding with the host reproductive cycle. Analysis of additional organs indicated
co-infection of individual bats with a number of different putative rubulaviruses, highlighting the
limitations of using a single sample type when determining viral presence and diversity. Our findings
suggest that R. aegyptiacus can harbor a range of Rubula- and related viruses, some of which are related
to known human pathogens. The observed peaks in viral excretion represents potential periods of a
higher risk of virus transmission and zoonotic disease spill-over.
