No Evidence of Zoonotic Hemoplasma Infections in Humans Exposed to Bats.

Background

Human-wildlife contact facilitates spillover by exposing humans to wildlife pathogens. Bats are often found living in or near human buildings and host a variety of pathogens known to infect humans, including bacterial pathogens. One of the most widespread bacterial pathogens found in bats is hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (hemoplasmas), some of which can infect humans and cause anemia, fever, and occasionally death. In Busia County, Kenya, like many regions in Sub-Saharan Africa, humans are commonly exposed to bats and their pathogens.

Methods

We surveyed 602 patients with febrile illness and recorded patient history with bats, rodents, livestock, and domestic animal exposure. We screened 266 patients with a history of bat exposure for hemoplasmas via conventional PCR and gel electrophoresis to determine if bat-borne hemoplasmas were spilling over from bats to humans. We also evaluated whether exposure to different animal groups was associated with specific symptoms of illness and whether certain demographic groups were more likely to be exposed to bats.

Results

We did not detect hemoplasmas in any of the patients. Our analysis suggests that symptoms of joint pain and cough may be associated with bat exposure, although after correcting for multiple comparisons, these associations were not significant. Sex and age did not affect the likelihood of bat exposure.

Conclusion

Despite the high prevalence of hemoplasmas recorded in some regions of Africa, hemoplasmas were not found in patients with febrile illness and reported bat exposure, indicating hemoplasmas are not responsible for the illnesses experienced by patients in this study. Continued surveillance and diagnostic investigations are especially important for patients with unknown disease etiology and a history of wildlife exposure, as early detection of zoonotic spillover is critical for containing new disease outbreaks.