Exposure to diverse sarbecoviruses indicates frequent zoonotic spillover in human communities interacting with wildlife

Tierra Smiley Evans; Chee Wah Tan; Ohnmar Aung; Sabai Phyu; Htin Lin; Lark L Coffey; Aung Than Toe; Pyaephyo Aung; Tin Htun Aung; Nyein Thu Aung; Christopher M Weiss; Kyaw Zin Thant; Zaw Than Htun; Suzan Murray; Linfa Wang; Christine Kreuder Johnson; Hlaing Myat Thu

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2023.02.015

Exposure to diverse sarbecoviruses indicates frequent zoonotic spillover in human communities interacting with wildlife

Int J Infect Dis. 2023 Jun:131:57-64. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.02.015. Epub 2023 Mar 3.

Authors

Tierra Smiley Evans¹, Chee Wah Tan², Ohnmar Aung³, Sabai Phyu⁴, Htin Lin⁵, Lark L Coffey⁶, Aung Than Toe³, Pyaephyo Aung⁷, Tin Htun Aung⁷, Nyein Thu Aung³, Christopher M Weiss⁶, Kyaw Zin Thant⁸, Zaw Than Htun⁵, Suzan Murray⁹, Linfa Wang², Christine Kreuder Johnson³, Hlaing Myat Thu¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Epicenter for Disease Dynamics, One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA. Electronic address: tsmevans@ucdavis.edu.
² Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore.
³ Epicenter for Disease Dynamics, One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA.
⁴ Tropical and Infectious Diseases Department, Specialist Hospital Waibargi, University of Medicine (2), Yangon, Myanmar.
⁵ Department of Medical Research, Yangon, Myanmar.
⁶ Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Department, University of California, Davis, USA.
⁷ Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, Yangon, Myanmar.
⁸ Myanmar Academy of Medical Science, Yangon, Myanmar.
⁹ Global Health Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Medical Research, Yangon, Myanmar. Electronic address: hmyatthu28@gmail.com.

Abstract

Background: Sarbecoviruses are a subgenus of Coronaviridae that mostly infect bats with known potential to infect humans (SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2). Populations in Southeast Asia, where these viruses are most likely to emerge, have been undersurveyed to date.

Methods: We surveyed communities engaged in extractive industries and bat guano harvesting from rural areas in Myanmar. Participants were screened for exposure to sarbecoviruses, and their interactions with wildlife were evaluated to determine the factors associated with exposure to sarbecoviruses.

Results: Of 693 people screened between July 2017 and February 2020, 12.1% were seropositive for sarbecoviruses. Individuals were significantly more likely to have been exposed to sarbecoviruses if their main livelihood involved working in extractive industries (logging, hunting, or harvesting of forest products; odds ratio [OR] = 2.71, P = 0.019) or had been hunting/slaughtering bats (OR = 6.09, P = 0.020). Exposure to a range of bat and pangolin sarbecoviruses was identified.

Conclusion: Exposure to diverse sarbecoviruses among high-risk human communities provides epidemiologic and immunologic evidence that zoonotic spillover is occurring. These findings inform risk mitigation efforts needed to decrease disease transmission at the bat-human interface, as well as future surveillance efforts warranted to monitor isolated populations for viruses with pandemic potential.

Keywords: Bat; Coronavirus; Myanmar; SARS-CoV-2; Sarbecovirus; Zoonotic.

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Wild
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Chiroptera*
Humans
Phylogeny
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus*
Zoonoses

Abstract

MeSH terms

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