# Ecological vaccination: A strategy to prevent zoonotic spillover from bats

## TL;DR

A new vaccination strategy for wild bats can reduce zoonotic spillover risks without harming bat populations.

## Contribution

A multiroute vaccination platform using mosquitoes and saline traps to immunize wild bats is introduced.

## Key findings

- Vaccine-carrying mosquitoes conferred protection in rodent and bat models.
- Saline traps achieved comparable immune protection through oral vaccination.
- Cohabitation with vaccine-carrying mosquitoes elicited strong immune responses in bats under simulated natural conditions.

## Abstract

Bats serve as critical reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens but also play essential ecological roles. To mitigate spillover risks without harming bat populations, we developed a multiroute vaccination strategy using recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV)–based vaccines. Vaccine-carrying mosquitoes delivered rVSV-based rabies and Nipah vaccines, conferring protection in rodent and bat models. Under simulated natural conditions, cohabitation with vaccine-carrying mosquitoes elicited strong immune responses in bats, supporting feasibility beyond laboratory settings. As a complementary approach, saline traps exploiting bats’ mineral-seeking behavior achieved comparable immune protection through oral vaccination. Together, these results demonstrate a flexible, ecology-informed vaccination platform for immunizing wild bats, offering a scalable strategy to reduce zoonotic spillover risk while supporting bat conservation.

Harnessing natural behaviors to vaccinate wild bats reduces zoonotic spillover risk while supporting conservation.