Human-bat interactions and

diseases transmission risks in Ghana

(DDDAC, London, UK. March 17, 2016)

Presented on behalf of the Ghana Team

by

Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu

Ghana Study Team

UK

James L. N. Wood

Andrew A. Cunningham

Linda Waldman

Melissa Leach

Kate Jones

Ghana

Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu

Elaine T. Lawson

Richard D. Suu-Ire

Kofi Amponsah-Mensah

Fidelia Ohemeng

Jesse S. Ayivor

Introduction: Fruit Bats in Ghana

Epomophorus gambianus

Micropteropus pusillus

Eidolon helvum

Thirteen species reported in

Ghana, ten recorded in current

study

Occur all across the country

Most abundant species are:

Eidolon helvum & Epomophorus

gambianus

Introduction (ii): Bats & Disease

Globally, approx. 70% emerging/re-

emerging human infections are

zoonotic

Bats are known to be reservoirs of

zoonotic viruses; more than sixty

viruses have been detected in bat

tissue, including:

• Filoviruses (Ebola & Marburg)

• Lyssaviruses (rabies-like viruses)

• Coronaviruses (e.g. SARS)

• Henipaviruses (Hendra & Nipah

viruses)- cause encephalitic

disease in humans and domestic

animals with extremely high case

fatality rates

The Ghana Case Study

Overarching hypotheses:

Spillover of henipavirus is occurring

in Ghana and there are high risk

groups for henipavirus exposure,

based on ecosystem service use

practices

Spillover dynamics and henipavirus

transmission differ between urban

and rural sites due to changes in

biodiversity and land use.

Ghana Study Sites

Study sites

37 Military Hospital

Tano Sacred Grove Ve-Golokuati

Components of the Ghana Study

Multidisciplinary Team of Ecological, Veterinary

& Social Scientists

Sociological studies: historical,

social and cultural dimensions

and understandings of bats and

disease.

Disease dynamics: surveillance of bats, domestic

animals and human populations

for evidence of henipavirus sero-

prevalence

Ecological Studies: mapping

distribution/population dynamics

of bats

Human-bat interactions: where are the

bats?

Nearly 6000 bats belonging to ten

species caught & sampled

Eidolon helvum and Epomophorus

gambianus accounted for > 75%

Roosts reported from 86 locations;

95% of roosts investigated occurred

within 50m of buildings/homes

Several bat roosts are in cities and

towns - high possibility of human

interaction with bats/ multiple

opportunities for disease spillover.

Human-bat interactions: how do humans

interact with bats?

340 respondents were involved in the semi-structured

interviews in the three sites:

164 females and 176 males,

aged 15 years and above,

educational background ranging from no formal education to

tertiary level education.

Livelihood activities

Farming/gardening

Petty trading

Artisans/construction workers

Food processing/trading

Government workers-teaching/health service/military service

Human-bat interactions: how do humans

interact with bats?

Direct exposure to bats

Hunting

Processing fresh bat meat for

consumption

Sale of fresh bat meat

Consumption (in case of improperly

cooked fresh bat meat)

Human-bat interactions: how do humans

interact with bats?

Indirect exposure to bats:

livelihood options Farming

Fruit collection

Trading/selling of wares under

bat roosts

Domestic animal husbandry

Human-bat interactions: how do humans

interact with bats?

Living with bats

(Golokuati)

Household chores: food

preparation in the open under bat roosts)

Human-bat interactions: how do humans

interact with bats?

Rain water harvesting in open

containers for domestic use and

drinking

Recreation under bat roosts -

schools /church grounds

Henipavirus sero-prevalence analyses

Preliminary data based on Luminex binding indicate

henipavirus spillover from bats to people is occurring in

Ghana

More detailed analyses need to be conducted to confirm

and investigate risk factors.

So what does all this mean?

Plowright et al., (2015) - series of hierarchical enabling conditions required for spillover to occur:

Reservoir hosts must be present

Reservoir hosts must be infected

If transmission is indirect, reservoir hosts must be shedding

pathogen and virus must survive outside of its reservoir host with

access to the recipient host

Recipient hosts must be exposed to the source of the virus in

sufficient quantity for an infection to establish

Recipient hosts must be susceptible to the virus

Assessing disease risks

GOLOKUATI TANO GROVE

Main Bat Species Epomophorus gambianus Eidolon helvum

Presence of Virus Presence of henipavirus

established

Presence of henipavirus

established

Direct exposure Limited hunting/processing fresh

bat meat

Regular

hunting/processing & sale

of fresh bat meat

Indirect exposure Living with bats (number of

houses with trees with Bat roost

Livelihood options –

(trading/buying, activities in

market place )

Recreational activities

Rain water collection

Livelihood options –

farming, collection of

forest products

CONCLUSION

Bats are found in many places in Ghana and in close

proximity of human habitation

Livelihood options and social activities greatly facilitate

interactions between people and bats (ecosystem

services and dis-services)

Multiple opportunities for disease spillover

Major implications for policy/health/poverty

A great need for systematic surveillance of zoonotic

diseases in humans, domestic animals and target wild

animal species

This work, Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium, NERC project numberNE-J001570-1, was funded with support from the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA)programme. The ESPA programme is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), theEconomic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).