Ecological vaccination: A strategy to prevent zoonotic spillover from bats - PubMed
12 hours ago
- #zoonotic spillover
- #ecological strategy
- #bat vaccination
- Bats are critical reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens but also play essential ecological roles.
- A multiroute vaccination strategy using recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV)-based vaccines was developed to mitigate spillover risks without harming bat populations.
- Vaccine-carrying mosquitoes delivered rVSV-based rabies and Nipah vaccines, providing protection in rodent and bat models.
- Under simulated natural conditions, cohabitation with vaccine-carrying mosquitoes elicited strong immune responses in bats.
- Saline traps exploiting bats' mineral-seeking behavior achieved comparable immune protection through oral vaccination.
- The study demonstrates a flexible, ecology-informed vaccination platform for immunizing wild bats to reduce zoonotic spillover risk while supporting bat conservation.
- A patent based on this study has been filed by A.Z., H.L., and F.Y., with the patent application number 202411261067.0, currently under substantive examination.