Sou h
A ican Jou nal
o
Science Vol.
78
Oc obe 1982
Vaccina ions
as
well
as
ansmission expe imen s we e conduc ed
on
g oups
o
cap i e kudu. A i icial ansmission consis ed
o
col-
lec ing sali a om a li e. clinically abid kudu and ans e ing i
mechanically o he mac oscopically in ac mucous memb anes
o
he lips
o
heal hy suscep ible animals. Rabies in he
dono
animal
was diagnosed by he luo escen an ibody es o abies (FA TR)
and
he p esence
o
i us in he sali a was also con i med. Two ou
o
ou animals de eloped clinical abies (con i med by FATR),
whe eas he o he wo de eloped humo al an ibodies, de e mined
se ologically. Thus, ansmission ia mucous memb anes could be
success ully achie ed.
We conclude ha ci cums an ial e idence s ongly implica es
ansmucosal ansmission
and
a ho izon al sp ead
o
he disease,
and hin s
a
a possible ole o abies in con olling animal popula-
ions.
I.
Ba na d J.H. and Hassel R.H. (1981). Rabies
in
kudus.
1.
S.
A .
e .
A~.
52,
209-314.
2. Di ec o
o
Ve e ina y Se ices. Depa men
o
Ag. icul u e and Na u e Conse a-
ion SW AlNamibia. Annual Repo s
1977
-
1981
and
naI -yea ly epo
1982.
3.
Du
P ee? J.S. Ecology
o ne
kudu
in
SWA. P og ess epo NO.3. Di ec o a e
o
Na u e Conse a ion, Windnoek.
4. G i in
M.
and Lensing J.E. Biology and ecology
o
ne kudu: Animal oad acciden
p oblem
in
SWA (Final epo ). Di ec o a e
o
Na u e Conse a ion. Windnoek.
5.
Hassel R.H. P og ess epo on kudu abies epizoo ic
1980.
S a e Ve e ina ian.
Windhoek.
6.
Schneide H.P. (1977). AnaIyse de Tie gesundheid Si ua ion
in
Sudwes -
A ika/Namibia. Inaugu al add ess. Jus us Liebig Uni e si a . Giessen.
7.
Schneide H.P. (1981). Rabies
in
kudu-an elopes in Sou n Wes A ica/Namibia.
Pape p esen ed
a
SARCCUS mee ing. P e o ia.
8.
Shaw
J.J.H.
(1980). Hondsdolheid
by
koedoes. 1.
S.
A .
e .
As . 51.209.
Ba s as Vec o s
o
Rabies
M.
an
de Me we
Mammal
Resea ch Ins i u e, Uni e si y
0/
P e o ia, P e o ia 0002.
In 1972, Geo ey P. Wes l w o e ha
i
a ic im could bu
choose,
i
would be p e e able o be bi en by a abid ampi e ba
han
by any o he abid animal, since he consequences, hough
a al, a e hen
o
a less ho i ying kind. Un o una ely
we
do no
know much abou he symp oms
o
people bi en by abid non-
haema ophagous ba s
bu ,
as he abies ca ied by insec i o ous
ba s
is
simila o ha ansmi ed by ca niyo es,2
i
can be expec ed
ha he symp oms a e simila .
Theonly
case in Sou h A ica whe e
a pe son was bi en by a abid ba suppo s his assump ion.3 I
mus , howe e . be s essed ha in his case wha was in ol ed
was
a
abies- ela ed i us known as he Du enhage i us.
Vampi e ba s
o
he New Wo ld a e he cause
o
g ea conce n in
La in Ame ican coun ies; ampi e-bo ne abies has been decla ed
he p ima y li es ock disease p oblem and has become a o midable
obs acle o he expansion
o
he ag icul u al economy. o
Abou
wo
million animals a e los annually wi h an associa ed inancial loss
exceeding
100
million dolla s.5 In his espec , Sou h A icans a e
o una e in ha ampi es
do
no
occu anywhe e in A ica. This
con inen ne e heless
is
ich in non-haema ophagous ba species.
Wi hin he bo de s
o
Sou h A ica alone, h ee gene a and ou
species
o
ui -ea ing ba s
can
be ound as
well
as
16
gene a
and
36
species
o
insec i o ous ba s. Many
o
hese species li e in close
associa ion wi h man; some species
o
ui -ea ing ba s occupy
ga den ees in ce ain a eas
o
he Republic,
and
some insec-
i o ous ba s oos abo e ceilings in many houses. Howe e ,
a
p e-
sen he e
is
no e idence o sugges ha Sou h A ican Chi op e a
a e possible ec o s
o
he abies i us and hei ole
as
ec o s
o
abies- ela ed i uses seems insigni ican . Since 1973, 410 ba s ha e
been examined o abies by he Ve e ina y Resea ch Ins i u e a
Onde s epoo and only
14
(30/0)
ha e been ound posi i e o
421
Mammals examined
o
abies
a
he Ve e ina y Resea ch
Ins i u e
o he
wo yea s 1980
and
1981.
Subjec
No.
o
samples
Samples posi i e
0/0
Posi i e
Ca le
256
87
34
Mee ka
575
186
J l
Dog
934
199
22
Ba
368
14
4
( abies- ela ed
i us)
abies- ela ed i us. Howe e . ca e should be aken in he in e -
p e a ion
o
hese igu es. since he sample ep esen s ba s om on-
Iya
small pa
o
Sou h A ica.
O he
410 ba s examined,
363
(89"10)
we e om Na al,
34
(8"10)
we e om he T ans aal, 8
(2070)
we e om he Cape P o ince,S
(1
OJo)
we e om he O ange F ee S a e. In o he wo ds, ew eco ds
exis o he h ee la ges p o inces. Fu he mo e, Pie e ma i zbu g
and
especially Du ban, whe e he majo i y
o
hese ba s we e col-
lec ed, all
well
ou side he enzoo ic a ea o abies,) al hough he
a ea om
Du ban
no hwa ds alls wi hin he canine epizoo ic
a ea.3 Ne e heless.
no
abies i us has been iden i ied in any
o
he
Du ban ba s.
O
he
14
posi i e cases iden i ied,
13
(93"10)
we e om Du ban
and p o ed o be Lagos ba i us. Only one posi i e case was iden-
i ied om ano he p o ince. a Louis T icha d in he T ans aal. I
is
s ill no known whe he he ac i e agen
is
Lagos. Du enhage o
abies i us. Wi h a single excep ion,
aU
ba s examined om Na al
we e collec ed du ing he wo yea s 1980
and
1982, wi h he majo i-
y(71"10) in 1980.
This ou b eak
o
abies- ela ed disease mainly in he ui -ea ing
ba s
o
Na al coincided wi h an appa en upsu ge
o
canine abies in
he p o ince.6 This has esul ed in people sending any hing ha
mo es o he Ve e ina y Resea ch Ins i u e o be es ed o abiesm-
ec ion. Fu he mo e, because he as majo i y
o
hese ba s ha e
no been iden i ied, wi h he excep ion
o
some ui -ea ing ba s
om Na al,
we
do
no
know whe he he Lagos ba i us also oc-
cu s amongs insec i o ous
ba
species. In mos
o
he posi i e cases
o
Lagos ba i us, he species in ol ed was he ui -ea ing
Epomopho us wahlbe gi. Pe haps his i us
is
es ic ed mainly o
ui -ea ing ba species. Lagos ba i us was i s isola ed in Nige ia
in
1956
om an appa en ly heal hy ui -ea ing ba , Eidolon
he/ um.' Because ui -ea ing ba s a e widely dis ibu ed in A ica,
e es ial mammals may
no
be in ol ed in he sp ead
o
his i us. 6
The con ibu ion
o
ba s as ca ie s
o
abies and abies- ela ed
i uses
is
insigni ican compa ed wi h ha
o
o he Sou h A ican
mammals, as
is
appa en om he able.
No hing
is
known
abou
he ole Sou h A ican Chi op e a play
as
ec o s
o
abies. The e
is
only one case
o
a pe son dying a e
being bi en by a ba in he Republic, appa en ly
as
a esul
o
Du enhage i us. In con as . in he Uni ed S a es
300 he
39
non-
haema ophagous ba species8 a e ca ie s
o
abies
and
ba s a e
ega ded as he numbe one public heal h haza d.2 Howe e ,
G eenhall' conside s ha he impac
o
ba s
as
a public heal h
haza d has been g ea ly exagge a ed. In he
26
yea s be ween
1951
and
1976, only
12
documen ed cases
o
human abies in he wo ld
we e a ibu ed o insec i o ous ba s.2.9
O
hese,
10
we e om he
U.S.A.
and
Canada,
o
which only eigh could be a ibu ed o
ac·
ual bi es
o
abid ba s, whe eas wo dea hs we e p obably due o
ae osol ansmission
o
abies. 2.9 Howe e , al hough hese cases a e
ew, he ansmission
o
abies o
man,
o domes ic animals and o
wildli e by abid non-haema ophagous ba s should no be
unde es ima ed. We
do
no know how
many
undocumen ed cases
he e ha e been, especially in de eloping coun ies. Al hough cases
o
ba s showing he u ious o m
o
abies and a acking people
will
Rep oduced by Sabine Ga eway unde licence g an ed by he Publishe (da ed 2010).
422
be ob ious
and
he e o e
well documen ed, hose, pe haps he ma-
jo i y, su e ing
om
pa aly ic
o
dump
abies as well as a ypical
o ms
will
pass
unno iced.
Reco ds exis
o
soli a y insec i o ous
ba s a acking people. 10-13 Howe e ,
mos
colonial ba s appa en ly
do
no become iolen , 14
al hough
he only known
human
a ali y
caused by he iolen
beha iou
o a
ba
in
Sou h
A ica was
due
o
he highly colonial Miniop e us sch eibe si na a/ensis.
I
abid ba s exis in
Sou h
A ica, hey
may
ha e been o e look-
ed
because ba s gene ally
a e
adi ionally gi en li le close
a en ion
by bo h scien is s
and
he gene al public.
Ba s and man
T ansmission
o
he
abies
i us
will
be
success ul
only
i
he
ic-
im
is
bi en whe e he ee h
can
punc u e
he skin.
The
ee h
o
some
o
Sou h
A ica's
mos
abundan
ba s
a e
so
minu e
ha
hey
canno
punc u e he skin excep when hey bi e somebody, o
ex-
ample,
on
he
lips.
One
o
he mos
common
ca e n dwelling ba s in
Sou h
A ica
is
he genus Miniop e us;
he
species
M.
s. na alensis is dis ibu ed
h oughou
he Republic.
ls
In
he T ans aal his species
is
bo h
he
mos
abundan
and
also he bes s udied.
I
o ms clus e s
o
col-
onies
o
a ew
hund ed
o
a ew
housand
indi iduals.
16
They
mig a e be ween he
sou he n
T ans aal high eld
and
he
no he n
T ans aal bush eld..17 Du ing he
au umn
and
win e mon .hs hey
o m pai ing
and
hibe na ing colonies
on
he
sou he n
T ans aal
high eld, while
du ing
he sp ing
and
summe
mon hs, la ge ma e -
ni y colonies
a e
o med
by emales in ca es in
he
no he n
T ans aal bush eld.
P egnan
emales cong ega e in hese ma e ni-
y ca es om
abou
he beginning
o
Oc obe
o
he beginning
o
Feb ua y; pa u i ion akes place om he beginning
o
No .embe
o he middle
o
Decembe . Numbe s
o
emales
a
his ime a e
es ima ed o be
I o
000
a
Sandsp ui Ca e No. I
and
59 000
a
Peppe co ns Ca e.
IUS
In
Sou h
A ica
only
one
case is
known
o
a
human
being ha ing
been bi en by a
ba
and
who
la e died
o
abies. 3
Un o una ely,
he ba was
no
collec ed o iden i ica ion, al hough ci cums an ial
e idence indica es s ongly
ha
i
wasM.
s. na alensis.
The
ic im, a
man
in his ea ly hi ies,
who
was aken
o
he
H.
F.
Ve woe d
Hospi al in
P e o ia
on
20 Feb ua y 1970,
had
been bi en
on
he lip
by a
ba
while he was asleep
abou
i e weeks ea lie . The a m
Tooysk aal whe e he inciden occu ed
is
wes
o
Wa m
ba hs, nca
Rooibe g,
and
on
he main mig a ion ou e
o
hese ba s be ween
he sou he n
T ans aal
high eld
and
he
no he n
T ans aal
bush eld. The a m
is
38
km
om he Sandsp ui ma e ni y ca e,
and
hus
aUs
wi hin he
hun ing
ange
o
hese ba s. Because hese
ba s a e small
(-
10
g)
and
ha e a high me abolic a e"especially
while lac a ing
and
immedia ely a e wa ds when hey
mus
ha e
enough
ene gy o hei
e u n
ligh
o
he high eld ca es, hey can
only occasionally a oid a nigh
o
wo wi hou eeding. The e o e,
all a ms wi hin a 40
km
adius
o
he ca e
may
be swa med by
Miniop e us
du ing
he
e enings.
A ound
20
Janua y
all emales
and
young a e s ill p esen
a
he
ma e ni y ca es,
as
hese colonies
only s a dispe sing in Feb ua y. No
o he
ba
species b eed in
Sandsp ui Ca e No. 1
and
i
accommoda es
only Miniop e us
om he beginning
o
No embe
onwa ds.
O he
ba s
p esen
a
Sandsp ui Ca e
be o e
No embe
include only a ew indi idual
Hildeb and 's
ho seshoe ba s
and
some hai y ba s. In
he
p e-
ma e ni y ca e
known
as
Rookpoo
Guano
Ca e,
10
km om
Sandsp ui Ca e No.
I,
a ew
o he
ba species wi h young can be
ound
du ing he
pe iod
when
pa u i ion
a
Sancisp ui Ca e
No.1
is
in
p og ess. These include
abou
100
Rhinoiophus
simula o ,
50
Cleio is,
10
Myo is
and
8 Nyc e is wi h hei young.
The
chances
a e, he e o e,
ha
he
ba
esponsible o he
dea h
o
he young
man
was
M.
s. na a/ensis.
Acco ding
o
Me edi h (pe sonal communica ion), bo h he
Du enhage i us as well as he Lagos ba i us ha e
no
been iden-
Sou h
A ican
Jou na/
o
Science Vol.
78
Oc obe 1982
i ied in any
o he
Sou h
A ican
mammal.
Because hese ba s
a el g ea dis ances
and
c oss bo de s
and
geog aphical ba ie s
wi h ease,
and
come in o
con ac
wi h ba popula ions om
o he
egions, he chances a e
ha
hese abies- ela ed i uses a e
ansmi ed om ba
o
ba .
[n handling
housands
o
ba s
and
obse ing many
mo e,
I ha e
ne e come ac oss a
ba
eac ing 's angely'. Howe e , a
pe son
no
amilia wi h he beha iou
o
insec i o ous ba s, may e y easily be
misled in o belie ing
ha
a ba , especially a lone indi idual, is
unwell. E en wi h
he
highly colonial
OnTIS
such as M. s. na a(en-
sis,
single hanging indi iduals
a e
commonly
ound in ca es.
When
hey a e
app oached,
e en
du ing
he summe
mon hs,
many
will
make
no
a emp
o
lyaway
and
can
e en be handled o some
ime, when hey will eac e y sluggishly. This
is
no
because hey
a e
sick,
bu
because. hey
a e
capable
o
educing hei
body
me abolism
and
he e o e hei empe a u e when
a
es .
The
only ime
one
can see
ha
a
ba
may
be sick
is
when i a acks
people
o
animals, when i lies
on
he
g ound
making
no
a emp
o
ly,
o
when i lies
a ound
in
b oad
dayligh . Du ing a
numbe
o
yea s
o
in ensi e s udy, I ha e obse ed none
o
hese
phenomena.
Many
dead
ba s ha e been
ound
in ca es,
bu
hese we e mainly
ju eniles who became dislodged om he ceiling
and
whose
mo he s we e unable
o
e ie e
hem.
Dead adul ba s ha e also
been
ound
in ca es
nea
P e o ia,
bu
hey had been killed by
child en
o
sadis ic adul s.
The
chances
o
a
human
de ec ing a
g ounded
ba , especially ou side
he
ca es, a e ex emely small.
I
is
much
mo e
likely
ha
i will be
spo ed
and
<impe ed wi h by a
domes ic animal such
as
a
dog
o
ca
o
else by wild animals such
as
membe s
o
he Felidae, Vi e idae
o
Canidae. As a consequence,
i is possible
ha
a disease ca ied
by
he
ba
may be ansmi ed in-
di ec ly
o
man.
I am g a e ul
o
D
B. J.
H.
Ba na d, Ve e ina y Resea ch In-
s i u e,
Onde s epoo ,
o ad ice
and
o aJlowing
me
access
o
eco ds
o
animals being examined o abies.
I. Wes
G.P.
(1972). Rabies
in
AnimalsandMan.
Da idandCha les,
New on
Abbo .
De on.
2. G eenhall A. M. (1982).
House
ba
managemen .
U.
S. Filh. Wild/. Se ., Resou .
Pub!. 143,
Washing on,
D.C.
J. Me edi h
C.D.,
Rassouw
A.P.
and
an
P aag
Koch
H.
(l J7I).
S.
A/ .
med. 1. 45,
767
·-769.
4.
WHO
Expe
Commi ee
on
Rabies (1966). Fi h Repo ,
Wid
Hl h. O g. (ech.
Rep. Sen'., No. 321. Gene a.
5.
S eele
J.H.
(1966).
In e na ional
aspec s
o
e e ina y medicine
and
ih
ela ion
o
heal h, nu i ion
and
human
wel a e. Milil. Med.
IJ1,
765
-778.
6. C ick
J.,
Tigno e
G.H.
and
Mo eno
K. (1982). A new isola e
o
Lagos
ba
i u~
om
he
Republic
o
Sou h
A ica. T ans. R. Soc. ( op. Med. Hyg.
76,211-
213.
7. Boulge
L.R.
and
Po e ield
J.S.
(1958). Isola ion
o
a i us om Nige ian ui
ba s. T ans. R.
Soc.
( ap.
Me<!.
Hyg.
5Z
421-424.
B.
Cons an ine
D.G.
(1979). An
upda ed
Ji~
o
abies-in ec C'd ba s
in
No h
Ame ica.
1. Wild.
Dis.
IS,
347
~
349.
9.
Bae G.M.
(1975). [n
TheNalu a
His o yojRabies,
ol.ll,edi .
a.Y . Dac ,
chap.
5,
pp.
79-97.
Academic
P ess,
New
Yo k.
10.
Kough
R.H.
([954).
A ack
on
ahuman
being by a abid insec i o ous ba .
1.
Am.
moo.
Ass. 155,441.
II.
Ven e s
H.D.
el al. (1954). Rabies in
ba s
in
Flo ida.
Am.
1. pub!. Hl h 44,
182-185.
12.
Wiseman
J.S.,
Da is
B.1.
and
G imes
J.E.
(1962).
Rabie~in ec ionin
he
ed ba ,
Lasiu us bo ealis bo ealis (Mulle ), in T
ex.:as.
1.
Mammal. 43, 279 -280.
JJ. Wi e
£.1.
(1954). Ba abies in Pennsyl ania.
Am.
J.publ.
Hl h 44,
186-188.
14.
Da is
R.B.,
He eid II
C.F.
and
Sho
H.1.
(1962). Mexican ee- ailed
ba s
in
Tex.:as.
Em!.
Monog .
32.311-
346.
15.
Hayman
R.W.
and
Hill
J.E.
(1971).
In
The Mammals
0/
A/ ica:
an
Iden i ica ion
manual, edi .
1.
Mees e
and
H.W.
Se ze ,
pa
2,
pp.
1-
73. Smi hsonian Ins i u-
ion,
Wa~hjng on,
D.C.
16.
an
de
Me we M.
(973).
Aspec s
o
social beha io
o
he
Na al clinging
ba
Miniop e us sch eibe si na alensis (A. Smi h, 1834). Mammalia
37,379-
389.
17.
Van de
~e we
M.
(1975).
P elimina y
s udy
on
he
annual
mo emen s
o
he
Na al
clinging ba . S.
A/ .
1.
Sci.
71,237
-241.
18. Van
del
Me we M. (l978).
In
P oc. IVlh In . Ba Res. Co!J .,
ew .
R.J.
Olembo,
1.B.
Cas elino
and
F.
A.
Mu e e,
pp.
309-
322. Kenya Na ional
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Rep oduced by Sabine Ga eway unde licence g an ed by he Publishe (da ed 2010).
