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Shapiro JT, Víquez-R L, Leopardi S, Vicente-Santos A, Mendenhall IH, Frick WF, Kading RC, Medellín RA, Racey P, Kingston T. Setting the Terms for Zoonotic Diseases: Effective Communication for Research, Conservation, and Public Policy. Viruses 2021; 13:1356. [PMID: 34372562 PMCID: PMC8310020 DOI: 10.3390/v13071356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many of the world's most pressing issues, such as the emergence of zoonotic diseases, can only be addressed through interdisciplinary research. However, the findings of interdisciplinary research are susceptible to miscommunication among both professional and non-professional audiences due to differences in training, language, experience, and understanding. Such miscommunication contributes to the misunderstanding of key concepts or processes and hinders the development of effective research agendas and public policy. These misunderstandings can also provoke unnecessary fear in the public and have devastating effects for wildlife conservation. For example, inaccurate communication and subsequent misunderstanding of the potential associations between certain bats and zoonoses has led to persecution of diverse bats worldwide and even government calls to cull them. Here, we identify four types of miscommunication driven by the use of terminology regarding bats and the emergence of zoonotic diseases that we have categorized based on their root causes: (1) incorrect or overly broad use of terms; (2) terms that have unstable usage within a discipline, or different usages among disciplines; (3) terms that are used correctly but spark incorrect inferences about biological processes or significance in the audience; (4) incorrect inference drawn from the evidence presented. We illustrate each type of miscommunication with commonly misused or misinterpreted terms, providing a definition, caveats and common misconceptions, and suggest alternatives as appropriate. While we focus on terms specific to bats and disease ecology, we present a more general framework for addressing miscommunication that can be applied to other topics and disciplines to facilitate more effective research, problem-solving, and public policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Teresa Shapiro
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Luis Víquez-R
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany;
| | - Stefania Leopardi
- Laboratory of Emerging Viral Zoonoses, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, Italy;
| | - Amanda Vicente-Santos
- Graduate Program in Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;
| | - Ian H. Mendenhall
- Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore;
| | - Winifred F. Frick
- Bat Conservation International, Austin, TX 78746, USA;
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Rebekah C. Kading
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;
| | - Rodrigo A. Medellín
- Institute of Ecology, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City 04510, Mexico;
| | - Paul Racey
- The Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Exeter TR10 9FE, UK;
| | - Tigga Kingston
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
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RELATEDNESS AND GENETIC STRUCTURE OF BIG BROWN BAT (EPTESICUS FUSCUS) MATERNITY COLONIES IN AN URBAN-WILDLAND INTERFACE WITH PERIODIC RABIES VIRUS OUTBREAKS. J Wildl Dis 2021; 57:303-312. [PMID: 33822144 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-20-00112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are the bat species in North America most frequently found to be rabid because of their high rate of human contact and thus submissions for rabies testing, of which, 4-5% are positive. The social behavior of big brown bats during the summer months may drive space use and potential viral exposure to conspecifics and mesocarnivores. We collected 88 unique genetic samples via buccal swabs from big brown bats captured at four maternity roosts surrounding a golf course during the summer of 2013. We used seven microsatellite loci to estimate genetic relatedness among individuals and genetic structure within and among colonies to infer whether females selected roosts based on kinship and used genetics and radio telemetry to determine the frequency of roost switching. We found roost switching through genetics and telemetry, and no evidence of elevated genetic relatedness within colonies or genetic structure among colonies. Social cohesion based on relatedness may not act to constrain the pathogen to a particular roost area, and thus, geographic mobility may increase viral exposure of bats in neighboring areas.
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Attendance of adult males at maternity roosts of big brown bats ( Eptesicus fuscus). J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Adult male big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) sometimes occur within maternity roosts. We investigated male attendance at big brown bat maternity roosts in a Colorado study area that shows a pattern of sexual segregation by elevation. We tested multiple predictions of three nonmutually exclusive hypotheses to explain male attendance patterns: 1) sex-specific differences in energetic strategies of males and females are maintained at the lower elevation; 2) natal philopatry of inexperienced young males accounts for most attendants; 3) males gain a reproductive advantage for late summer mating at maternity roosts. We tested predictions based on captures of bats at emergence, automated monitoring of annual, seasonal, and daily roost attendance by known-age bats tagged with passive integrated transponders, and anatomical evidence for mating. Findings were most consistent with the first two hypotheses. Adult males accounted for just 3.1% of 8,192 captures of bats at 285 evening emergences from 46 roosts during 2001–2005. Daily attendance rates of males during each active season (0.10 detections/day at age 1 year and 0.20 detections/day at ≥ 2 years old) were lower than in females (0.34 at age 1 year and 0.45 at ≥ 2 years old). Only 92 of 299 males tagged as volant juveniles were detected as adults at five maternity roosts monitored 2002–2005, far fewer than female returns in every age category. We detected known-age adult males almost exclusively at their natal roosts and most males that returned (91 of 92) in years after tagging as juveniles were first detected as 1-year-olds; 20 of 21 individuals that returned at 2–4 years of age were previously detected as 1-year-olds. One-year-old males were re-encountered at annual rates 5–16 times higher than 2- to 4-year-old males, and 1-year-old males and females had lower daily attendance rates than older bats. The male reproductive advantage hypothesis was not well supported. None of 80 females examined in late summer had evidence of insemination, and not all males showed distended scrota. Daily attendance rates of tagged adult males (n = 155) and females (n = 788) were lowest during late summer, suggesting that little reproductive advantage was accrued by males utilizing maternity roosts. Attendance of male big brown bats at maternity roosts at our study area is consistent with the sex-specific energetic strategies and natal philopatry hypotheses, and mating probably occurs at higher elevation autumn roosts and hibernacula.
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Virulence mismatches in index hosts shape the outcomes of cross-species transmission. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:28859-28866. [PMID: 33122433 PMCID: PMC7682402 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2006778117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging disease epidemics often result from a pathogen establishing transmission in a novel host species. However, for reasons that remain poorly understood, most cross-species transmissions fail to establish in the newly infected species. Examining experimental cross-species inoculations of rabies virus, we show that host and viral factors predict differences in disease progression in ways that are expected to impact the likelihood of onward transmission. Disease progression was accelerated and virus excretion decreased when the reservoir and novel host were physiologically or genetically more dissimilar. These insights may help to explain and predict host shifts in rabies and other zoonotic viruses and highlight meta-analyses of experimental inoculation data as a powerful and generalizable approach for understanding the dynamics of index infections. Whether a pathogen entering a new host species results in a single infection or in onward transmission, and potentially an outbreak, depends upon the progression of infection in the index case. Although index infections are rarely observable in nature, experimental inoculations of pathogens into novel host species provide a rich and largely unexploited data source for meta-analyses to identify the host and pathogen determinants of variability in infection outcomes. We analyzed the progressions of 514 experimental cross-species inoculations of rabies virus, a widespread zoonosis which in nature exhibits both dead-end infections and varying levels of sustained transmission in novel hosts. Inoculations originating from bats rather than carnivores, and from warmer- to cooler-bodied species caused infections with shorter incubation periods that were associated with diminished virus excretion. Inoculations between distantly related hosts tended to result in shorter clinical disease periods, which are also expected to impede onward transmission. All effects were modulated by infection dose. Taken together, these results suggest that as host species become more dissimilar, increased virulence might act as a limiting factor preventing onward transmission. These results can explain observed constraints on rabies virus host shifts, describe a previously unrecognized role of host body temperature, and provide a potential explanation for host shifts being less likely between genetically distant species. More generally, our study highlights meta-analyses of experimental infections as a tractable approach to quantify the complex interactions between virus, reservoir, and novel host that shape the outcome of cross-species transmission.
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Benavides JA, Velasco-Villa A, Godino LC, Satheshkumar PS, Nino R, Rojas-Paniagua E, Shiva C, Falcon N, Streicker DG. Abortive vampire bat rabies infections in Peruvian peridomestic livestock. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008194. [PMID: 32598388 PMCID: PMC7351222 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Rabies virus infections normally cause universally lethal encephalitis across mammals. However, 'abortive infections' which are resolved prior to the onset of lethal disease have been described in bats and a variety of non-reservoir species. Here, we surveyed rabies virus neutralizing antibody titers in 332 unvaccinated livestock of 5 species from a vampire bat rabies endemic region of southern Peru where livestock are the main food source for bats. We detected rabies virus neutralizing antibody titers in 11, 5 and 3.6% of cows, goats and sheep respectively and seropositive animals did not die from rabies within two years after sampling. Seroprevalence was correlated with the number of local livestock rabies mortalities reported one year prior but also one year after sample collection. This suggests that serological status of livestock can indicate the past and future levels of rabies risk to non-reservoir hosts. To our knowledge, this is the first report of anti-rabies antibodies among goats and sheep, suggesting widespread abortive infections among livestock in vampire bat rabies endemic areas. Future research should resolve the within-host biology underlying clearance of rabies infections. Cost-effectiveness analyses are also needed to evaluate whether serological monitoring of livestock can be a viable complement to current monitoring of vampire bat rabies risk based on animal mortalities alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio A. Benavides
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Andres Velasco-Villa
- Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NE, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Lauren C. Godino
- Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NE, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Panayampalli Subbian Satheshkumar
- Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NE, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Ruby Nino
- Colegio Médico Veterinario de Apurimac, Abancay, Peru
| | | | - Carlos Shiva
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Nestor Falcon
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Daniel G. Streicker
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Sir Henry Wellcome Building, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Seetahal JFR, Greenberg L, Satheshkumar PS, Sanchez-Vazquez MJ, Legall G, Singh S, Ramkissoon V, Schountz T, Munster V, Oura CAL, Carrington CVF. The Serological Prevalence of Rabies Virus-Neutralizing Antibodies in the Bat Population on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad. Viruses 2020; 12:E178. [PMID: 32033370 PMCID: PMC7077287 DOI: 10.3390/v12020178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
: Rabies virus (RABV) is the only lyssavirus known to be present within the Caribbean. The island of Trinidad, is richly diverse in chiropteran fauna and endemic for bat-transmitted rabies with low RABV isolation rates observed in this population. We aimed to determine the seroprevalence of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies (RVNA) in light of spatio-temporal and bat demographic factors to infer the extent of natural exposure to RABV in the Trinidadian bat population. RVNA titers were determined by the RABV micro-neutralization test on 383 bat samples representing 21 species, comprising 30.9% of local bat diversity, from 31 locations across the island over 5 years. RVNA was positively detected in 33 samples (8.6%) representing 6 bat species (mainly frugivorous) with titers ranging from 0.1 to 19 IU/mL (mean 1.66 IU/mL). The analyses based on a multivariable binomial generalised linear mixed-effects model showed that bat age and year of capture were significant predictors of seropositivity. Thus, juvenile bats were more likely to be seropositive when compared to adults (estimate 1.13; p = 0.04) which may suggest early exposure to the RABV with possible implications for viral amplification in this population. Temporal variation in rabies seropositivity, 2012-2014 versus 2015-2017 (estimate 1.07; p = 0.03) may have been related to the prevailing rabies epizootic situation. Regarding other factors investigated, RVNA was found in bats from both rural and non-rural areas, as well as in both hematophagous and non-hematophagous bat species. The most common seropositive species, Artibeusjamaicensisplanirostris is ubiquitous throughout the island which may potentially facilitate human exposure. The findings of this study should be factored into public health assessments on the potential for rabies transmission by non-hematophagous bats in Trinidad.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine F. R. Seetahal
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago; (V.R.); (C.V.F.C.)
| | - Lauren Greenberg
- Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; (L.G.); (P.S.S.)
| | | | - Manuel J. Sanchez-Vazquez
- Pan American Food-and-Mouth Disease Centre (PANAFTOSA), Pan American Health Organization, Rio de Janeiro CEP 25045-002, Brazil;
| | - George Legall
- Faculty of Food Production and Agriculture, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago;
| | - Shamjeet Singh
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago;
| | - Vernie Ramkissoon
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago; (V.R.); (C.V.F.C.)
| | - Tony Schountz
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;
| | - Vincent Munster
- Virus Ecology Unit, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID/NIH, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA;
| | - Christopher A. L. Oura
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago;
| | - Christine V. F. Carrington
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago; (V.R.); (C.V.F.C.)
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Rabies Outbreak in Captive Big Brown Bats ( Eptesicus fuscus) Used in a White-Nose Syndrome Vaccine Trial. J Wildl Dis 2019. [PMID: 31295082 DOI: 10.7589/2018-10-258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
An outbreak of rabies occurred in a captive colony of wild-caught big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Five of 27 bats exhibited signs of rabies virus infection 22-51 d after capture or 18-22 d after contact with the index case. Rabid bats showed weight loss, aggression, increased vocalization, hypersalivation, and refusal of food. Antigenic typing and virus sequencing confirmed that all five bats were infected with an identical rabies virus variant that circulates in E. fuscus in the US. Two bats with no signs of rabies virus infection were seropositive for rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies; the brains of these bats had no detectable viral proteins by the direct fluorescence antibody test. We suspect bat-to-bat transmission of rabies virus occurred among our bats because all rabies-infected bats were confined to the cage housing the index case and were infected with viruses having identical sequences of the entire rabies nucleoprotein gene. This outbreak illustrates the risk of rabies virus infection in captive bats and highlights the need for researchers using bats to assume that all wild bats could be infected with rabies virus.
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Schuh AJ, Amman BR, Sealy TS, Flietstra TD, Guito JC, Nichol ST, Towner JS. Comparative analysis of serologic cross-reactivity using convalescent sera from filovirus-experimentally infected fruit bats. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6707. [PMID: 31040343 PMCID: PMC6491471 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43156-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
With the exception of Reston and Bombali viruses, the marburgviruses and ebolaviruses (family Filoviridae) cause outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fever in sub-Saharan Africa. The Egyptian rousette bat (ERB) is a natural reservoir host for the marburgviruses and evidence suggests that bats are also natural reservoirs for the ebolaviruses. Although the search for the natural reservoirs of the ebolaviruses has largely involved serosurveillance of the bat population, there are no validated serological assays to screen bat sera for ebolavirus-specific IgG antibodies. Here, we generate filovirus-specific antisera by prime-boost immunization of groups of captive ERBs with all seven known culturable filoviruses. After validating a system of filovirus-specific indirect ELISAs utilizing infectious-based virus antigens for detection of virus-specific IgG antibodies from bat sera, we assess the level of serological cross-reactivity between the virus-specific antisera and heterologous filovirus antigens. This data is then used to generate a filovirus antibody fingerprint that can predict which of the filovirus species in the system is most antigenically similar to the species responsible for past infection. Our filovirus IgG indirect ELISA system will be a critical tool for identifying bat species with high ebolavirus seroprevalence rates to target for longitudinal studies aimed at establishing natural reservoir host-ebolavirus relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy J Schuh
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Commissioned Corps, United States Public Health Service, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA
| | - Brian R Amman
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Tara S Sealy
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Timothy D Flietstra
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Jonathan C Guito
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Stuart T Nichol
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Jonathan S Towner
- Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA. .,Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
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Bonwitt J, Oltean H, Lang M, Kelly RM, Goldoft M. Bat rabies in Washington State: Temporal-spatial trends and risk factors for zoonotic transmission (2000-2017). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0205069. [PMID: 30300384 PMCID: PMC6177155 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease that can affect all mammals. In the United States, the majority of human rabies cases are caused by bats, which are the only known reservoirs for rabies virus (RABV) in Washington State. We sought to characterize bat RABV epidemiology in Washington among bats submitted by the public for RABV testing. Methods We examined temporal and spatial trends in RABV positivity (% positive) for taxonomically identified bats submitted to diagnostic laboratories during 2006–2017. For a subset of Myotis species, we evaluated sensitivity and predictive value positive (PPV) of morphological identification keys, using mitochondrial markers (cytochrome b) as a reference. For bats tested during 2000–2016, we analyzed RABV positivity by circumstances of encounters with humans, cats, and dogs. Results During 2006–2017, RABV positivity for all bat species was 6.0% (176/2,928). Among species with ≥100 submissions, RABV positivity was 2.0%–11.7% and highest among big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). An increasing trend in annual positivity was significant only for big brown bats (P = 0.02), and was circumstantially linked to a geographic cluster. Sensitivity and PPV of morphological identification keys was high for M. evotis but varied for M. lucifugus, M. californicus, M. yumanensis, and M. septentrionalis. A positive RABV result was significantly associated with nonsynanthropic species, abnormal behavior, abnormal hiding, injury, biting, found in a body of water, found alive, found outdoors, and caught by a dog. Conclusion Monitoring passive RABV surveillance trends enables public health authorities to perform more accurate risk assessments. Differences in temporal and spatial trends in RABV positivity by bat species indicate the importance of collecting taxonomic data, although morphological identification can be unreliable for certain Myotis species. Current public health practices for RABV exposures should be maintained as RABV infection in bats can never be excluded without diagnostic testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse Bonwitt
- Epidemic Intelligence Service, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Office of Communicable Disease Epidemiology, Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Anthropology, University of Durham, Durham, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Hanna Oltean
- Office of Communicable Disease Epidemiology, Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, Washington, United States of America
| | - Misty Lang
- Public Health Laboratories, Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, Washington, United States of America
| | - Rochelle M. Kelly
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Marcia Goldoft
- Office of Communicable Disease Epidemiology, Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, Washington, United States of America
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Peel AJ, Baker KS, Hayman DTS, Broder CC, Cunningham AA, Fooks AR, Garnier R, Wood JLN, Restif O. Support for viral persistence in bats from age-specific serology and models of maternal immunity. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3859. [PMID: 29497106 PMCID: PMC5832774 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22236-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatiotemporally-localised prediction of virus emergence from wildlife requires focused studies on the ecology and immunology of reservoir hosts in their native habitat. Reliable predictions from mathematical models remain difficult in most systems due to a dearth of appropriate empirical data. Our goal was to study the circulation and immune dynamics of zoonotic viruses in bat populations and investigate the effects of maternally-derived and acquired immunity on viral persistence. Using rare age-specific serological data from wild-caught Eidolon helvum fruit bats as a case study, we estimated viral transmission parameters for a stochastic infection model. We estimated mean durations of around 6 months for maternally-derived immunity to Lagos bat virus and African henipavirus, whereas acquired immunity was long-lasting (Lagos bat virus: mean 12 years, henipavirus: mean 4 years). In the presence of a seasonal birth pulse, the effect of maternally-derived immunity on virus persistence within modelled bat populations was highly dependent on transmission characteristics. To explain previous reports of viral persistence within small natural and captive E. helvum populations, we hypothesise that some bats must experience prolonged infectious periods or within-host latency. By further elucidating plausible mechanisms of virus persistence in bat populations, we contribute to guidance of future field studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison J Peel
- Disease Dynamics Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK.
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK.
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, 4111, Australia.
| | - Kate S Baker
- Disease Dynamics Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
- Institute for Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK
| | - David T S Hayman
- Disease Dynamics Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
- Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Laboratory, Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand
| | - Christopher C Broder
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, 20814-4799, USA
| | - Andrew A Cunningham
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Anthony R Fooks
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Romain Garnier
- Disease Dynamics Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
| | - James L N Wood
- Disease Dynamics Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
| | - Olivier Restif
- Disease Dynamics Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
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Marston DA, Banyard AC, McElhinney LM, Freuling CM, Finke S, de Lamballerie X, Müller T, Fooks AR. The lyssavirus host-specificity conundrum-rabies virus-the exception not the rule. Curr Opin Virol 2017; 28:68-73. [PMID: 29182939 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2017.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Lyssaviruses are a diverse range of viruses which all cause the disease rabies. Of the 16 recognized species, only rabies viruses (RABV) have multiple host reservoirs. Although lyssaviruses are capable of infecting all mammals, onward transmission in a new host population requires adaptation of the virus, in a number of stages with both host and virus factors determining the outcome. Due to an absence of recorded non-RABV host shifts, RABV data is extrapolated to draw conclusions for all lyssaviruses. In this article, we have focused on evidence of host shifts in the same insectivorous bat reservoir species in North America (RABV) and Europe (EBLV-1, EBLV-2 and BBLV). How RABV has successfully crossed species barriers and established infectious cycles in new hosts to be the global multi-host pathogen it is today, whilst other lyssaviruses appear restricted in host species is explored in this review. It hypothesized that RABV is the exception, rather than the rule, in this fascinating genus of viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise A Marston
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, United Kingdom; UMR 'Émergence des Pathologies Virales' (EPV: Aix-Marseille Univ - IRD 190 - Inserm 1207 - EHESP - IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
| | - Ashley C Banyard
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Lorraine M McElhinney
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, United Kingdom; Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Conrad M Freuling
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, (FLI), Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Stefan Finke
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, (FLI), Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Xavier de Lamballerie
- UMR 'Émergence des Pathologies Virales' (EPV: Aix-Marseille Univ - IRD 190 - Inserm 1207 - EHESP - IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
| | - Thomas Müller
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, (FLI), Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Anthony R Fooks
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, United Kingdom; Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
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12
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Robardet E, Borel C, Moinet M, Jouan D, Wasniewski M, Barrat J, Boué F, Montchâtre-Leroy E, Servat A, Gimenez O, Cliquet F, Picard-Meyer E. Longitudinal survey of two serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) maternity colonies exposed to EBLV-1 (European Bat Lyssavirus type 1): Assessment of survival and serological status variations using capture-recapture models. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0006048. [PMID: 29149215 PMCID: PMC5693283 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
This study describes two longitudinal serological surveys of European Bat Lyssavirus type 1 (EBLV-1) antibodies in serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus) maternity colonies located in the North-East of France. This species is currently considered as the main EBLV-1 reservoir. Multievent capture-recapture models were used to determine the factors influencing bat rabies transmission as this method accounts for imperfect detection and uncertainty in disease states. Considering the period of study, analyses revealed that survival and recapture probabilities were not affected by the serological status of individuals, confirming the capacity of bats to be exposed to lyssaviruses without dying. Five bats have been found with EBLV-1 RNA in the saliva at the start of the study, suggesting they were caught during virus excretion period. Among these bats, one was interestingly recaptured one year later and harbored a seropositive status. Along the survey, some others bats have been observed to both seroconvert (i.e. move from a negative to a positive serological status) and serorevert (i.e. move from a positive to a negative serological status). Peak of seroprevalence reached 34% and 70% in site A and B respectively. On one of the 2 sites, global decrease of seroprevalence was observed all along the study period nuanced by oscillation intervals of approximately 2-3 years supporting the oscillation infection dynamics hypothesized during a previous EBLV-1 study in a Myotis myotis colony. Seroprevalence were affected by significantly higher seroprevalence in summer than in spring. The maximum time observed between successive positive serological statuses of a bat demonstrated the potential persistence of neutralizing antibodies for at least 4 years. At last, EBLV-1 serological status transitions have been shown driven by age category with higher seroreversion frequencies in adults than in juvenile. Juveniles and female adults seemed indeed acting as distinct drivers of the rabies virus dynamics, hypothesis have been addressed but their exact role in the EBLV-1 transmission still need to be specified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle Robardet
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife–WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Management in Zoonoses Control, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies Serology—Bâtiment H, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire, CS, France
| | | | - Marie Moinet
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife–WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Management in Zoonoses Control, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies Serology—Bâtiment H, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire, CS, France
| | | | - Marine Wasniewski
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife–WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Management in Zoonoses Control, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies Serology—Bâtiment H, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire, CS, France
| | - Jacques Barrat
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife–WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Management in Zoonoses Control, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies Serology—Bâtiment H, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire, CS, France
| | - Franck Boué
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife–WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Management in Zoonoses Control, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies Serology—Bâtiment H, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire, CS, France
| | - Elodie Montchâtre-Leroy
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife–WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Management in Zoonoses Control, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies Serology—Bâtiment H, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire, CS, France
| | - Alexandre Servat
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife–WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Management in Zoonoses Control, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies Serology—Bâtiment H, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire, CS, France
| | - Olivier Gimenez
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier, EPHE, France
| | - Florence Cliquet
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife–WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Management in Zoonoses Control, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies Serology—Bâtiment H, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire, CS, France
| | - Evelyne Picard-Meyer
- ANSES, Nancy Laboratory for Rabies and Wildlife–WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Management in Zoonoses Control, OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies, European Union Reference Laboratory for Rabies Serology—Bâtiment H, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire, CS, France
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Lo Iacono G, Cunningham AA, Fichet-Calvet E, Garry RF, Grant DS, Leach M, Moses LM, Nichols G, Schieffelin JS, Shaffer JG, Webb CT, Wood JLN. A Unified Framework for the Infection Dynamics of Zoonotic Spillover and Spread. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004957. [PMID: 27588425 PMCID: PMC5010258 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A considerable amount of disease is transmitted from animals to humans and many of these zoonoses are neglected tropical diseases. As outbreaks of SARS, avian influenza and Ebola have demonstrated, however, zoonotic diseases are serious threats to global public health and are not just problems confined to remote regions. There are two fundamental, and poorly studied, stages of zoonotic disease emergence: ‘spillover’, i.e. transmission of pathogens from animals to humans, and ‘stuttering transmission’, i.e. when limited human-to-human infections occur, leading to self-limiting chains of transmission. We developed a transparent, theoretical framework, based on a generalization of Poisson processes with memory of past human infections, that unifies these stages. Once we have quantified pathogen dynamics in the reservoir, with some knowledge of the mechanism of contact, the approach provides a tool to estimate the likelihood of spillover events. Comparisons with independent agent-based models demonstrates the ability of the framework to correctly estimate the relative contributions of human-to-human vs animal transmission. As an illustrative example, we applied our model to Lassa fever, a rodent-borne, viral haemorrhagic disease common in West Africa, for which data on human outbreaks were available. The approach developed here is general and applicable to a range of zoonoses. This kind of methodology is of crucial importance for the scientific, medical and public health communities working at the interface between animal and human diseases to assess the risk associated with the disease and to plan intervention and appropriate control measures. The Lassa case study revealed important knowledge gaps, and opportunities, arising from limited knowledge of the temporal patterns in reporting, abundance of and infection prevalence in, the host reservoir. Many dangerous diseases emerge via spillover from animals, with limited human-to-human infection (stuttering-transmission) often being the first stage of human disease spread. Understanding the conditions (biological, environmental and socio-economic factors) that regulate spillover and disease spread is key to its mitigation. Here we are interested in questions such as: If we have quantified pathogen dynamics in the reservoir, with some knowledge of the mechanism of contact, can we estimate the likelihood of spillover events? Can we tease apart how much the disease is transmitted by animals and how much by humans? We developed a unified mathematical framework, based on Poisson processes with memory of past events, to understand the dynamics of spillover and stuttering-transmission. This framework, which can be applied across the disease transmission spectrum, allows the teasing apart of the disease burden attributed to animal-human and human-human transmission. Using this model, we can infer human disease risk based on knowledge of infection patterns in the animal reservoir host and the contact mechanisms required for transmission to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Lo Iacono
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Disease Dynamics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Environmental Change Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | - Robert F. Garry
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Donald S. Grant
- Lassa Fever Program, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone
| | - Melissa Leach
- Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Lina M. Moses
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Gordon Nichols
- Gastrointestinal, Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
| | - John S. Schieffelin
- Sections of Infectious Disease, Departments of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey G. Shaffer
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Colleen T. Webb
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - James L. N. Wood
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Disease Dynamics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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14
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de Andrade FAG, Gomes MN, Uieda W, Begot AL, Ramos ODS, Fernandes MEB. Geographical Analysis for Detecting High-Risk Areas for Bovine/Human Rabies Transmitted by the Common Hematophagous Bat in the Amazon Region, Brazil. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0157332. [PMID: 27388498 PMCID: PMC4936729 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The common hematophagous bat, Desmodus rotundus, is one of the main wild reservoirs of rabies virus in several regions in Latin America. New production practices and changed land use have provided environmental features that have been very favorable for D. rotundus bat populations, making this species the main transmitter of rabies in the cycle that involves humans and herbivores. In the Amazon region, these features include a mosaic of environmental, social, and economic components, which together creates areas with different levels of risk for human and bovine infections, as presented in this work in the eastern Brazilian Amazon. Methodology We geo-referenced a total of 175 cases of rabies, of which 88% occurred in bovines and 12% in humans, respectively, and related these cases to a number of different geographical and biological variables. The spatial distribution was analyzed using the Kernel function, while the association with independent variables was assessed using a multi-criterion Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. Findings The spatiotemporal analysis of the occurrence of rabies in bovines and humans found reduction in the number of cases in the eastern state of Pará, where no more cases were recorded in humans, whereas high infection rates were recorded in bovines in the northeastern part of the state, and low rates in the southeast. The areas of highest risk for bovine rabies are found in the proximity of rivers and highways. In the case of human rabies, the highest concentration of high-risk areas was found where the highway network coincides with high densities of rural and indigenous populations. Conclusion The high-risk areas for human and bovine rabies are patchily distributed, and related to extensive deforested areas, large herds of cattle, and the presence of highways. These findings provide an important database for the generation of epidemiological models that could support the development of effective prevention measures and controls.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Murilo N. Gomes
- Escritório de Defesa Agropecuária de São Paulo, Coordenadoria de Defesa Agropecuária, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wilson Uieda
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alberto L. Begot
- Departamento de Endemias, Secretaria Executiva de Saúde Pública do Estado do Pará, Pará, Brazil
| | - Ofir de S. Ramos
- Laboratório de Virologia, Laboratório Nacional Agropecuário do Pará, Pará, Brazil
| | - Marcus E. B. Fernandes
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Manguezal, Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus de Bragança, Pará, Brazil
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