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. 2018 Mar:58:253-257.
doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2018.01.007. Epub 2018 Jan 10.

Circulation of Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus and Paramyxovirus in Hipposideros bat species in Zimbabwe

Affiliations

Circulation of Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus and Paramyxovirus in Hipposideros bat species in Zimbabwe

Mathieu Bourgarel et al. Infect Genet Evol. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Bats carry a great diversity of zoonotic viruses with a high-impact on human health and livestock. Since the emergence of new coronaviruses and paramyxoviruses in humans (e.g. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Nipah virus), numerous studies clearly established that bats can maintain some of these viruses. Improving our understanding on the role of bats in the epidemiology of the pathogens they harbour is necessary to prevent cross-species spill over along the wild/domestic/human gradient. In this study, we screened bat faecal samples for the presence of Coronavirus and Paramyxovirus in two caves frequently visited by local people to collect manure and/or to hunt bats in Zimbabwe. We amplified partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase genes of Alpha and Betacoronavirus together with the partial polymerase gene of Paramyxovirus. Identified coronaviruses were related to pathogenic human strains and the paramyxovirus belonged to the recently described Jeilongvirus genus. Our results highlighted the importance of monitoring virus circulation in wildlife, especially bats, in the context of intense human-wildlife interfaces in order to strengthen prevention measures among local populations and to implement sentinel surveillance in sites with high zoonotic diseases transmission potential.

Keywords: Bat; Coronavirus; Emerging infectious diseases; Paramyxovirus; Phylogeny; Zimbabwe.

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Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Geographical distribution of bats faecal samples collection sites. Blues circles represent the caves where bat faecal samples were collected. The name of the caves as well as the GPS location is noted next to the circle. Number of faeces collected per site is shown in brackets.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Phylogenetic analysis of partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of the newly identified Alphacoronavirus and Betacoronavirus sequences from Zimbabwe. New partial RdRp (415 bp) CoV sequences are represented in bold and were compared to previously identified Alphacoronavirus and Betacoronavirus available in the GenBank. Accession numbers are showed before the strain name. Only Bayesian posterior probabilities are showed. Asterisks at nodes represent posterior probability ≥90%. Scale bars indicate the number of base substitutions per site.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Phylogenetic analysis of partial polymerase gene of the newly identified Paramyxovirus (ParV) sequence from Zimbabwe. New partial pol (531 bp) ParV sequences are represented in bold and were compared to previously identified Paramyxovirus available in the GenBank. Accession numbers are showed before the strain name. Only Bayesian posterior probabilities are showed. Asterisks at nodes represent posterior probability ≥90%. Scale bars indicate the number of base substitutions per site

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