Metagenomic study of the viruses of African straw-coloured fruit bats: Detection of a chiropteran poxvirus and isolation of a novel adenovirus
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Viral emergence as a result of zoonotic transmission constitutes a continuous public health threat. Emerging viruses such as SARS coronavirus, hantaviruses and henipaviruses have wildlife reservoirs. Characterising the viruses of candidate reservoir species in geographical hot spots for viral emergence is a sensible approach to develop tools to predict, prevent, or contain emergence events. Here, we explore the viruses of Eidolon helvum, an Old World fruit bat species widely distributed in Africa that lives in close proximity to humans. We identified a great abundance and diversity of novel herpes and papillomaviruses, described the isolation of a novel adenovirus, and detected, for the first time, sequences of a chiropteran poxvirus closely related with Molluscum contagiosum. In sum, E. helvum display a wide variety of mammalian viruses, some of them genetically similar to known human pathogens, highlighting the possibility of zoonotic transmission.
Date Issued
2013-07-05
Date Acceptance
2013-03-11
Citation
Virology, 2013, 441 (2), pp.95-106
ISSN
0042-6822
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
95
End Page
106
Journal / Book Title
Virology
Volume
441
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2013 Elsevier Inc. Open access under CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
License URL
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000319782800001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Virology
Virome
Bat
Megabat
Poxvirus
Viral emergence
Metagenomics
Adenovirus
MULTIPLE SEQUENCE ALIGNMENT
GENETIC DIVERSITY
PREVALENCE
CORONAVIRUSES
EMERGENCE
INFECTION
PATHOGENS
ASSEMBLER
VIROME
RNA
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2013-04-04