Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41004516›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2025

Drivers of rabies virus spillover risk from vampire bats to livestock in Colombia.

Paige Van de Vuurst, Cassidy Rist, Tatiana Medina-Rodriguez, Andres Felipe Osejo-Varona, Diego Soler-Tovar, Luis E Escobar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Paige Van de VuurstDepartment of Geography and Environment, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0003-4221-6881
Cassidy RistCenter for Emerging Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America.
Tatiana Medina-RodriguezTechnical Directorate of Epidemiological Surveillance, Deputy Directorate of Animal Protection, Colombian Agricultural Institute ICA, Bogotá, Colombia.
Andres Felipe Osejo-VaronaTechnical Directorate of Animal Health, Deputy Directorate of Animal Protection, Colombian Agricultural Institute ICA, Bogotá, Colombia.
Diego Soler-TovarFaculty of Agricultural Sciences, Universidad de La Salle, Bogotá, Colombia.
Luis E EscobarDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0001-5735-2750

Funding

Mentored Research (K01) Integrative Spatial Epidemiology Study of Wildlife Rabies SpilloverK01AI168452 · NIAID · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · PI Luis E Escobar · 2023 to 2026
$502k
NIAID NIH HHS K01 AI168452
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRabies is an acute and progressive viral zoonotic disease of the nervous system, which widely affects domestic animals in Latin America. Vampire bat-borne rabies virus (RABV) has significant negative impacts on the livestock industry via animal mortality. Nevertheless, the landscape level factors that facilitate or limit RABV transmission from vampire bats to livestock remain elusive.

methodsTo determine how abiotic and biotic factors modulate RABV spillover from vampire bats to livestock, we assessed the role of different landscape variables on the occurrence of RABV spillover from Desmodus rotundus to livestock in Colombia. Using ecological niche modeling as the theoretical and analytical framework, we analyzed ecological and epidemiological RABV data to reconstruct spillover transmission events.

resultsAnthropogenic variables including livestock and human density were consistently selected as predictors of RABV spillover from vampire bats to livestock. Cattle density had the highest average relative contribution to final ecological niche models (64.7%). We also found improvement of RABV spillover risk estimates when sampling bias in the form of cattle density was used in the modeling process. High risk for RABV spillover (0.75-0.98) was consistently predicted in the Caribbean region of Colombia. Nevertheless, more widespread moderate RABV spillover risk was predicted more broadly across the country when sampling bias was accounted for.

conclusionOur modelling effort revealed that variable selection and use of bias surface have tractable impacts on final projections of spillover risk. Our results also indicate that human activity drives RABV spillover risk to a greater extent than ecological or climatological factors. Results from this study provide important information about landscape conditions linked to RABV transmission risk, where livestock vaccination should be prioritized.

Indexed as

ChiropteraLivestockRabiesRabies virusZoonosesAnimalsCattleColombiaHumans

Identifiers

PMID41004516
PMCPMC12469178

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.