Data from: Investigating the zoonotic origin of the West African Ebola epidemic

The severe Ebola virus disease epidemic occurring in West Africa stems
from a single zoonotic transmission event to a 2-year-old boy in
Meliandou, Guinea. We investigated the zoonotic origins of the epidemic
using wildlife surveys, interviews, and molecular analyses of bat and
environmental samples. We found no evidence for a concurrent outbreak in
larger wildlife. Exposure to fruit bats is common in the region, but the
index case may have been infected by playing in a hollow tree housing a
colony of insectivorous free-tailed bats (Mops condylurus). Bats in this
family have previously been discussed as potential sources for Ebola virus
outbreaks, and experimental data have shown that this species can survive
experimental infection. These analyses expand the range of possible Ebola
virus sources to include insectivorous bats and reiterate the importance
of broader sampling efforts for understanding Ebola virus ecology.