Identification of socio-cultural risk factors for the transmission of zoonotic diseases from bats to humans in the city of Ouagadougou

Abstract

Highly lethal zoonotic diseases caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites circulate between bats and humans. They
reconfigure the relationship between these species by designating bats as reservoirs of pathogens, at the origin of
possible epidemics. Yet, these mammals are key species, playing a vital role in the ecological balance of Burkinabè
ecosystems. Using an ethno-zoological approach, this article analyzes the perceptions and practices of the populations of the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in contact with bats. This is a cross-sectional survey of 120 people. Half of the people surveyed had a socio-professional activity directly related to bats. They were bat hunters, bat meat restorers and traditional medicine practitioners. Of the population interviewed, 64.17% had ever consumed bat meat. All these bat meat consumers believe that there is no risk in handling and consuming bat meat. This is despite the fact that several species of bats (Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792), Epomophorus gambianus (Ogilby, 1835), Scotophilus sp. and Mops. sp) reported as reservoirs of pathogenic viruses have been encountered in restaurants and stalls of traditional medicine practitioners.