title: Increased Morbidity and Mortality in Domestic Animals Eating Dropped and Bitten Fruit in Bangladeshi Villages: Implications for Zoonotic Disease Transmission.
abstract: We used data on feeding practices and domestic animal health gathered from 207 Bangladeshi villages to identify any association between grazing dropped fruit found on the ground or owners directly feeding bat- or bird-bitten fruit and animal health. We compared mortality and morbidity in domestic animals using a mixed effects model controlling for village clustering, herd size, and proxy measures of household wealth. Thirty percent of household heads reported that their animals grazed on dropped fruit and 20% reported that they actively fed bitten fruit to their domestic herds. Household heads allowing their cattle to graze on dropped fruit were more likely to report an illness within their herd (adjusted prevalence ratio 1.17, 95% CI 1.02-1.31). Household heads directly feeding goats bitten fruit were more likely to report illness (adjusted prevalence ratio 1.35, 95% CI 1.16-1.57) and deaths (adjusted prevalence ratio 1.64, 95% CI 1.13-2.4). Reporting of illnesses and deaths among goats rose as the frequency of feeding bitten fruit increased. One possible explanation for this finding is the transmission of bat pathogens to domestic animals via bitten fruit consumption.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. jjo@stanford.edu.|Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Dr, Lane L134, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. jjo@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Openshaw
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hegde
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Hossain M S
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Sazzad
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Salah Uddin
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: M Jahangir
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.affiliation: EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.affiliation: EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Daszak
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Emily S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Gurley
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.|International Center for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Luby
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D001717:Birds / Q000382:microbiology; D002020:Buffaloes; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000382:microbiology; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000662:veterinary*; D004435:Eating; D005638:Fruit / Q000382:microbiology*; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006041:Goats; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006736:Horses; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000401:mortality* / Q000635:transmission*
keywords: bat- and bird-bitten fruit; domestic animals; morbidity; mortality; zoonotic disease