title: Human-Bat Interactions in Rural West Africa.
abstract: Because some bats host viruses with zoonotic potential, we investigated human-bat interactions in rural Ghana during 2011-2012. Nearly half (46.6%) of respondents regularly visited bat caves; 37.4% had been bitten, scratched, or exposed to bat urine; and 45.6% ate bat meat. Human-bat interactions in rural Ghana are frequent and diverse.
authors.forename: Priscilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anti
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Owusu
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Agbenyega
authors.forename: Augustina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Annan
authors.forename: Ebenezer Kofi
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Badu
authors.forename: Evans Ewald
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Nkrumah
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tschapka
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oppong
authors.forename: Yaw
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Adu-Sarkodie
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drosten
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D066046:Diet, Paleolithic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000821:virology; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D012424:Rural Population; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology
keywords: Ebola; MERS; Middle East respiratory syndrome; Nipah; SARS; West Africa; bats; severe acute respiratory syndrome; virus reservoir; viruses; zoonoses