Rabies commonly circulates in populations of commensal bats (bats that live in close proximity to humans). In Colorado, bats are virtually the only wildlife associated with human exposures to rabies. From 2001–2006, FORT biologists investigated the ecological dynamics of rabies transmission in big brown bat populations that roost and live within cities, using Fort Collins, Colorado, as the case study. Project collaborators included Colorado State University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The 5-year study was completed in 2006, and investigators are completing data analysis, modeling, and publication work. Final results will include a new model for rabies transmission in bats and are expected to be of considerable interest to public health agencies and bat conservationists. For more information on the study, please visit the Colorado State University project site now available at http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/bats/.
For more information contact: Tom O'Shea
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