Zoonoses in the night: Zoonoses in de nacht

Rationale: The emergence of infectious diseases such as Ebola viral disease, Zika virus disease, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is an important public health problem. While the risk of such emergence events in developed countries like the Netherlands is small, both public concern and potential health and economic consequences are large. The majority of (newly) emerging diseases come from wildlife, either directly or via intermediate hosts. Objective: To increase our knowledge about bats as a potential source of zoonotic viruses in the Netherlands, and to support evidence-based development and evaluation of prevention and management tools against (in)direct virus transmission from bats to humans. We have three research questions to reach this objective: 1. What is the range of viruses present in prioritized bat species, and how does this vary in time, place, and breeding cycle? 2. What is the evidence for transmission of key viruses from bats to humans and cats (as intermediate hosts)? 3. What is the level of contact between bats and people and what is their risk perception and knowledge of bats