Abstract:
Simultaneous use of domestic spaces by humans and wildlife is little understood, despite
global ubiquity, and can create an interface for human exposure to wildlife pathogens. Bats
are a pervasive synanthropic taxon and are associated with several pathogens that can spill
over and cause disease in humans. Urbanization has destroyed much natural bat habitat
and, in response, many species increasingly use buildings as roosts. The purpose of this
study was to characterize human interactions with bats in shared buildings to assess potential for human exposure to and spillover of bat-borne pathogens. We surveyed 102 people
living and working in buildings used as bat roosts in Taita-Taveta county, Kenya between
2021 and 2023. We characterized and quantified the duration, intensity, and frequency of
human-bat interactions occurring in this common domestic setting. Survey respondents
reported living with bats in buildings year-round, with cohabitation occurring consistently for
at least 10 years in 38% of cases. Human contact with bats occurred primarily through direct
and indirect routes, including exposure to excrement (90% of respondents), and direct
touching of bats (39% of respondents). Indirect contacts most often occurred daily, and
direct contacts most often occurred yearly. Domestic animal consumption of bats was also
reported (16% of respondents). We demonstrate that shared building use by bats and
humans in rural Kenya leads to prolonged, frequent, and sometimes intense interactions
between bats and humans, consistent with interfaces that can facilitate exposure to bat
pathogens and subsequent spillover. Identifying and understanding the settings and practices that may lead to zoonotic pathogen spillover is of great global importance for developing countermeasures, and this study establishes bat roosts in buildings as such a setting.
