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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 27(2), 1978, pp. 290-296
Copyright © 1978 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Venezuelan Encephalitis Virus Infection in Neotropical Bats

I. Natural Infection in a Guatemalan Enzootic Focus*

Charles Seymour{dagger}, Robert W. Dickerman AND Mary S. Martin
Department of Microbiology, Cornell University Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021

A serological survey of 939 Neotropical bats of 22 species from an enzootic focus of Venezuelan encephalitis (VE) virus on the Pacific lowlands of Guatemala during 1971–1975 revealed VE virus specific antibodies in seven species, three belonging to the genus Artibeus. VE virus was isolated from the blood of one Uroderma bilobatum. Antibody frequency was considerably lower in bats than in terrestrial mammals, and tended to vary within any given species from locality to locality and from year to year. At the village of La Avellana where VE virus was most active, antibody rates in the two best-sampled Artibeus species were 0.14 in 1971, 0.11 in 1972, 0.03 in 1973, and 0.11 in 1975. The positive rate of 0.10 over all years at La Avellana for the genus Artibeus suggests that these and possibly other bats regularly are infected by VE virus, and may possibly serve as alternate hosts to maintain virus circulation if most terrestrial animals become immune.

Accepted for publication July 23, 1977.


* This investigation was performed in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization and was supported by USPHS Research Grant AI-11383 and by USPHS Training Grant 5-TI-AI-231, both from NIAID.


{dagger} Present address: Department of Veterinary Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706.






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Copyright © 1978 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.