Guidelines for veterinarians dealing with bats

Position statement

Veterinarians have an ethical and legal responsibility to themselves, their staff and the public to be aware of the risks associated with handling bats. They should use appropriate precautions to avoid infection with disease agents that may be carried by bats.

Background

Australian bats carry a number of disease agents that may be transmitted to people. Two of these, Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) and Hendra virus, have caused fatalities in people.
ABLV was first reported in 1996, and has since been reported every year. Infection with ABLV has been confirmed in all species of flying fox (Megachiroptera, Pteropus spp., or pteropid bats) in mainland Australia, and in insectivorous bats (Microchiroptera or microbats). The virus causes a fatal encephalitic disease. ABLV has caused the deaths of two people in Australia (see McCall et al 2000).

Hendra virus was first identified in horses in 1994 in Brisbane, Queensland. Antibodies to Hendra virus occur in fruit bats in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Hendra virus does not cause clinical disease in fruit bats, but if transmitted to horses it can cause serious illness, including respiratory distress, frothy nasal discharge, fever, elevated heart rate and death. The four humans known to have been infected with Hendra virus were apparently infected after exposure to large amounts of virus that had been amplified in infected horses.

The NHMRC Australian Immunisation Handbook1 recommends that rabies vaccine should be given pre-exposure to people who are occupationally exposed to ABLV, and post-exposure to people who have been bitten or scratched by Australian bats of any species. Guidelines for handling possible and probable Hendra virus infection in equines are available from a link at the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries website.2

An Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan (AUSVETPLAN) disease strategy for ABLV is available.3

Guidelines

Before veterinarians and their staff handle bats (flying foxes or microbats), they should:

  • be aware of zoonotic diseases carried by bats and be appropriately trained and experienced in handling bats
  • take steps to avoid being bitten or scratched by bats, including wearing appropriate protective clothing and gloves and using appropriate procedures for handling bats
  • be vaccinated with rabies vaccine in line with the NHMRC Australian Immunisation Handbook4
  • monitor their rabies neutralising antibody status at regular intervals (following the initial rabies vaccine and at least every 2 years); rabies neutralising antibody titres should be at least 0.5 IU/ml, and booster vaccinations should be received if the titre falls below this value.

Veterinarians and their staff should promptly seek appropriate medical advice in the event of potential exposure to ABLV or other zoonotic agents.

Specific protocols

Veterinarians who handle bats, or whose staff handle bats, should observe the following guidelines.

  • Veterinarians and veterinary staff should be aware that bats may have zoonotic diseases.
  • Veterinarians and veterinary staff should be familiar with the range of clinical signs associated with ABLV in bats.
  • ABLV should be included as a differential diagnosis for any animal showing suggestive neurological or behavioural signs.
  • Personnel should not handle bats unless they have been vaccinated with rabies vaccine, and have demonstrated a rabies neutralising antibody titre of at least 0.5 IU/ml within the past 2 years (see the vaccination guidelines for ABLV in the NHMRC Australian Immunisation Handbook (ibid)4).
  • Where a person’s titre of rabies neutralising antibody fails to reach, or falls below, 0.5 IU/ml, the person should avoid handling bats until booster vaccinations produce a titre of at least 0.5 IU/ml.
  • Appropriate protective clothing should be worn when handling bats. This may include long-sleeved overalls, boots, glasses, face-shields, double gloves, kevlar gloves, puncture-resistant gloves, leather ‘riggers’ gloves, leather ‘welders’ gloves or chain-mail gloves. Where possible, the bat should be held by a vaccinated, experienced bat handler (e.g. wildlife carer).
  • When presented with a bat, veterinarians and staff should make enquiries to establish whether any person(s) or any other animal(s) has had contact with the bat in a way that could have transmitted ABLV from the bat. This includes contact that may have transferred the bat’s saliva or bodily fluid into wounds or mucous membranes, such as fluid contact with broken skin (for both live and dead bats) and being bitten or scratched.
  • If the bat is known or suspected to have had contact with people or animals in a way that could have transmitted ABLV, all possible efforts should be made by the veterinarian and client to submit the bat for ABLV testing. Advice about submitting bats should be sought from the relevant state or territory laboratory.
  • If a person may have been exposed to ABLV via a bat, the situation should be considered urgent. The person should be advised to:
  • immediately and thoroughly wash any wounds (bites or scratches) with soap and water and apply a virucidal preparation such as povidone-iodine
  • immediately contact their public health authority for medical advice
  • if it can be done safely, make all possible efforts to retain the bat for ABLV testing by the relevant laboratory.
  • Veterinarians who diagnose or suspect ABLV in any animal must, as soon as possible, advise a government veterinary officer of the relevant state or territory department by the fastest available means of communication.
  • If it becomes known that a person has had contact with a bat that has since been confirmed to be infected with ABLV, the person should immediately contact, or be advised to contact, the public health authority for urgent advice.

A variety of options could be considered for management of an animal that has been bitten by a bat, where the bat was ABLV positive or the level of contact and ABLV status of the bat are unknown. These options are currently being updated and further developed as part of the AUSVETPLAN review process and will be available in the updated version of the AUSVETPLAN manual for ABLV. In the interim, veterinarians should seek advice from the relevant state or territory department with responsibility for animal health.

  1. www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/hand...
  2. www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/health/3892.html
  3. www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au
  4. www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/hand...

References

  • Animal Health Australia (1999). Disease strategy: Australian bat lyssavirus (Version 2.1), Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan (AUSVETPLAN), Edition 2, Animal Health Australia, Canberra, ACT.
  • NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) (2003). Australian bat lyssavirus. In: The Australian Immunisation Handbook, 8th edition, NHMRC, Canberra, 106–117.
  • Barrett JL (2004). Australian bat lyssavirus. PhD thesis, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland. http://eprint.uq.edu.au/archive/00002417/ (Viewed by author 20 December 2007).
  • McCall BJ, Epstein JH, Neill AS, Heel K, Field HE, Barrett J, Smith GA, Selvey LA, Rodwell B and Lunt R (2000). Potential human exposure to Australian bat lyssavirus: Brisbane South and South Coast, Queensland, 1996–1999. Emerging Infectious Diseases 6(3):259–264.

Date of ratification by AVA Board 15 February 2008

 

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