Bat Habitat, Behavior Spark Hendra Virus Risk [Study]

An increasing number of instances of a developing zoonotic illness in Australia are correlated with stressed, hungry bat populations, according to new study. The bats have mastered the art of adapting to longer-lasting food shortages by roosting nearer to people. Experts said this increases the possibility of the deadly Hendra virus spreading from horses to humans.

The brand-new study that was just released in Nature demonstrates how One Health works with Australian bats. Moreover, it could suggest some approaches to stop the sickness from transferring from one type of virus to another, a process known as "spillover."

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: A grey-headed Flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus), a native Australian bat, stretches its leathery wings as it flies high over Sydney's Botanical Gardens, 17 August 2005. The bats settled in the gardens many years ago as much of their natural habitat along the coast of New South Wales has been cleared for timber, agriculture and urban development. At night the bats feed on the fruits of many native plants and provide an important function as they are one of the few species that pollinate flowers and disperse the seeds. GREG WOOD/AFP via Getty Images

How Hendra Virus Spreads and Why This Is Happening

From 1996 until 2020, the team recorded 63 Hendra incidents, ranging from horses to bats. They discovered that the frequency rose starting in 2006 and that spillovers were recorded in 80% of years.

Hendra can spread to humans through intermediate hosts, such as horses, Cosmos Magazine said.

Although the Hendra virus is known to be present in flying foxes, it doesn't seem to harm animals. However, the virus is deadly for people and horses, with 75% and 57% mortality rates, respectively.

The researchers connected native vegetation removal and habitat degradation to the spillover risk. They contend that due to the shortage of native food, notably blossoming eucalypts during the winter, flying foxes are now spending more time in urban and agricultural regions.

The behavior increases the possibility of encounters between horses and bats. Additionally, researchers found that bats who spend more time in these habitats excrete more Hendra.

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Rare Disease

Fortunately, Hendra virus infections are relatively rare, The Verge said. It can resemble the flu in people but can also be lethal since it affects the respiratory and nervous systems of the body. Four out of the seven persons who have caught the virus since it was originally found in humans in Australia in 1994 have died.

They contracted the virus through caring for or handling ill or decomposing horses, which in turn acquired it from bats. Although there is now a vaccination for horses, there have been more than 80 confirmed cases of horses dying from Hendra. Additionally, the World Health Organization states that the use of monoclonal antibodies in human therapy "is being investigated."

How To Prevent This Incident

The Australian study, according to a statement, further discovered that bats become more susceptible to disease when bat populations become fragmented and produce more virus in their natural environments due to a lack of winter shelter and food.

Researchers concluded that preserving and restoring natural ecosystems might stop viruses that originate in wildlife from spreading to domesticated animals and people.

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