Micro‒Global Positioning Systems for Identifying Nightly Opportunities for Marburg Virus Spillover to Humans by Egyptian Rousette Bats.

Marburg virus disease, caused by Marburg and Ravn orthomarburgviruses, emerges sporadically in sub-Saharan Africa and is often fatal in humans. The natural reservoir is the Egyptian rousette bat (ERB), which sheds virus in saliva, urine, and feces. Frugivorous ERBs discard test-bitten and partially eaten fruit, potentially leaving infectious virus behind that could be consumed by other susceptible animals or humans. Historically, 8 of 17 known Marburg virus disease outbreaks have been linked to human encroachment on ERB habitats, but no linkage exists for the other 9 outbreaks, raising the question of how bats and humans might intersect, leading to virus spillover. We used micro‒global positioning systems to identify nightly ERB foraging locations. ERBs from a known Marburg virus‒infected population traveled long distances to feed in cultivated fruit trees near homes. Our results show that ERB foraging behavior represents a Marburg virus spillover risk to humans and plausibly explains the origins of some past outbreaks.

Cutaneous Filariasis in Free-Ranging Rothschild's Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) in Uganda.

Across Africa, wild giraffes suffer from a variety of skin disorders of mostly unknown etiology. With their populations already threatened from anthropogenic factors, it is important to understand infectious disease risks to giraffes. Here we describe filarid parasites and a portion of their genetic sequence associated with skin disease in Rothschild's giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) in Uganda.