Table 2.
Zoonotic viruses with known or potential relation to human disease and evidence for a bat origin or potential relation to African bats.
| virus family | virus genus/ subfamily | virus | number of human infections/fatalities | zoonotic source of human infection | virus evidence from bats | bat–human transmission shown | references |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronaviridae | Alphacoronavirus | HCoV-229E | unknown, mostly mild respiratory disease | possibly camelids (endemic in humans) | possible evolutionary origin in hipposiderid bats (PCR evidence) | no | [97–103] |
| Alphacoronavirus | HCoV-NL63 | unknown, mostly mild respiratory disease | unknown (endemic in humans) | possible evolutionary origin in rhinonycterid or hipposiderid bats (PCR evidence) | no | [98,100,104] | |
| Filoviridae | Orthomarburgvirus | Marburg virus | 498/397 (1967 −2023) | non-human primates, R. aegyptiacus | R. aegyptiacus, considered as reservoir host based on PCR and virus isolation | yes | [15,17,18,21,22,26,105–107] |
| Orthoebolavirus | Ebola, Bundibugyo, Sudan, Tai Forest virus | 34 849/15 343 (1976–2023) | non-human primates, duiker, possibly bats | natural reservoir unknown; PCR positives (E. franqueti, H. monstrosus, M. torquata), serological evidence from several African bats | no | [21,31,80,82,105,108–122] | |
| Flaviviridae | Orthoflavivirus | Dengue-2 virus | estimated 400 million per year/40 000 per year | mosquitoes | serological evidence from M. pumilus, M. condylurus, E. labiatus | no | [123,124] |
| Orthoflavivirus | West Nile virus | 56 569/2773 (1999–2022) | mosquitoes | serological evidence from E. helvum and E. labiatus | no | [124,125] | |
| Orthoflavivirus | Yellow fever virus | estimated 200 000 per year/30 000 per year | mosquitoes | serological evidence from R. aegyptiacus | no | [124,126] | |
| Nairoviridae | Orthonairovirus | Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever virus or CCHF-like viruses | estimated 10 000–15 000 per year/500 per year | ticks, livestock | serological evidence in 10 African bat species for CCHFV or a closely related virus belonging to the CCHFV serotype | no | [127–131] |
| Orthonairovirus | Dugbe virus | unknown, moderate clinical manifestation | ticks, livestock | serological evidence from C. afra | no | [131,132] | |
| Orthomyxoviridae | Alphainfluenzavirus | Avian influenza A (H9) | H9N2 caused > 100 infections and small number of deaths | poultry | serological evidence for avian influenza H9 in E. helvum | no | [133–135] |
| Paramyxoviridae | Orthorubulavirus | Sosuga virus | 1/0 | R. aegyptiacus | R. aegyptiacus (PCR evidence) | yes | [136] |
| Pararubulavirus | Achimota virus 1 & 2 | 3 of 443 seropositive for AchPV2 | unknown | serological evidence for both viruses in E. helvum | no | [137] | |
| Phenuiviridae | Phlebovirus | Rift Valley fever virus | 4641/957 (2000–2016); no systematic surveillance | mosquitoes, livestock | serological evidence from R. aegyptiacus, E. labiatus, virus isolation from L. frons, H. caffer, Myotis sp. | no | [124,131,138,139] |
| Rhabdoviridae | Ledantevirus | Kumasi rhabdovirus | 6 of 163 seropositive | possibly E. helvum | KRV isolated from E. helvum | possibly | [140] |
| Lyssavirus | Mokola virus | 2/2 | unknown | never isolated from bats; serological evidence uncertain (cross reaction with Lagos bat virus); other potential reservoirs are African shrews and insectivorous rodents | no | [141–146] | |
| Lyssavirus | Duvenhage virus | 3/3 | African bats | African bats (e.g. virus isolation from N. thebaica) | yes | [141,147–150] | |
| Spenareoviridae | Orthoreovirus | Pteropine orthoreovirus | infections may be common in Southeast Asia, no known deaths | Asian Pteropus sp. | Asian Pteropus sp., African Myonycteris angolensis ruwenzorii (PCR evidence) | yes | [151] |
| Togaviridae | Alphavirus | Babanki virus | unknown | mosquitoes | serological evidence from E. labiatus, R. aegyptiacus | no | [124] |