title: No evidence for the involvement of the argasid tick Ornithodoros faini in the enzootic maintenance of marburgvirus within Egyptian rousette bats Rousettus aegyptiacus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The cave-dwelling Egyptian rousette bat (ERB; Rousettus aegyptiacus) was recently identified as a natural reservoir host of marburgviruses. However, the mechanisms of transmission for the enzootic maintenance of marburgviruses within ERBs are unclear. Previous ecological investigations of large ERB colonies inhabiting Python Cave and Kitaka Mine, Uganda revealed that argasid ticks (Ornithodoros faini) are hematophagous ectoparasites of ERBs. Yet, their potential role as transmission vectors for marburgvirus has not been sufficiently assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the present study, 3,125 O. faini were collected during April 2013 from the rock crevices of Python Cave, Uganda. None of the ticks tested positive for marburgvirus-specific RNA by Q-RT-PCR. The probability of failure to detect marburgvirus at a conservative prevalence of 0.1 % was 0.05.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The absence of marburgvirus RNA in O. faini suggests they do not play a significant role in the transmission and enzootic maintenance of marburgvirus within their natural reservoir host.
authors.affiliation: Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. wuc2@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Amy J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Schuh
authors.affiliation: Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. cxx1@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Amman
authors.affiliation: United States National Tick Collection, the James H. Oliver, Jr. Institute for Coastal Plain Science, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA. dapanaskevich@georgiasouthern.edu.
authors.forename: Dmitry A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Apanaskevich
authors.affiliation: Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. tss3@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Tara K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Sealy
authors.affiliation: Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. stn1@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Stuart T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Nichol
authors.affiliation: Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. jit8@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Towner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001179:Arthropod Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000821:virology*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D008379:Marburg Virus Disease / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D029024:Marburgvirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D026861:Ornithodoros / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014454:Uganda
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral