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Coronavirus and Paramyxovirus Shedding by Bats in a Cave and Buildings in Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT: Bats are important hosts of zoonotic viruses with pandemic potential, including filoviruses, MERS-Coronavirus (CoV), SARS-CoV -1, and likely SARS-CoV-2. Viral infection and transmission among wildlife are dependent on a combination of factors that include host ecology and immunology, life history traits, roosting habitats, biogeography, and external stressors. Between 2016 and 2018, four species of insectivorous bats from a readily accessed roadside cave and buildings in Ethiopia were sampled and tested for viruses using consensus PCR assays for five viral families/genera. Previously identified and novel coronaviruses and paramyxoviruses were identified in 99 of the 589 sampled bats. Bats sampled from the cave site were more likely to test positive for a CoV than bats sampled from buildings; viral shedding was more common in the wet season; and rectal swabs were the most common sample type to test positive. A previously undescribed alphacoronavirus was detected in two bat species from different taxonomic families, sampling interfaces, geographic locations, and years. These findings expand knowledge of the range and diversity of coronaviruses and paramyxoviruses in insectivorous bats in Ethiopia and reinforce that an improved understanding of viral diversity and species-specific shedding dynamics is important for designing informed zoonotic disease surveillance and spillover risk reduction efforts.

SUBMITTER: Lane JK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9243955 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundBat-borne virus surveillance is necessary for determining inter-species transmission risks and is important due to the wide-range of bat species which may harbour potential pathogens. This study aimed to monitor coronaviruses (CoVs) and paramyxoviruses (PMVs) in bats roosting in northwest Italian regions. Our investigation was focused on CoVs and PMVs due to their proven ability to switch host and their zoonotic potential. Here we provide the phylogenetic characterization of the highly conserved polymerase gene fragments.ResultsFamily-wide PCR screenings were used to test 302 bats belonging to 19 different bat species. Thirty-eight animals from 12 locations were confirmed as PCR positive, with an overall detection rate of 12.6% [95% CI: 9.3-16.8]. CoV RNA was found in 36 bats belonging to eight species, while PMV RNA in three Pipistrellus spp. Phylogenetic characterization have been obtained for 15 alpha- CoVs, 5 beta-CoVs and three PMVs; moreover one P. pipistrellus resulted co-infected with both CoV and PMV. A divergent alpha-CoV clade from Myotis nattereri SpA is also described. The compact cluster of beta-CoVs from R. ferrumequinum roosts expands the current viral sequence database, specifically for this species in Europe. To our knowledge this is the first report of CoVs in Plecotus auritus and M. oxygnathus, and of PMVs in P. kuhlii.ConclusionsThis study identified alpha and beta-CoVs in new bat species and in previously unsurveyed Italian regions. To our knowledge this represents the first and unique report of PMVs in Italy. The 23 new bat genetic sequences presented will expand the current molecular bat-borne virus databases. Considering the amount of novel bat-borne PMVs associated with the emergence of zoonotic infections in animals and humans in the last years, the definition of viral diversity within European bat species is needed. Performing surveillance studies within a specific geographic area can provide awareness of viral burden where bats roost in close proximity to spillover hosts, and form the basis for the appropriate control measures against potential threats for public health and optimal management of bats and their habitats.

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Coronavirus and Paramyxovirus Shedding by Bats in a Cave and Buildings in Ethiopia.

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