Abstract
Bats are a reservoir for a diverse range of viruses, including coronaviruses (CoVs). To determine the presence of CoVs in French bats, fecal samples were collected between July and August of 2014 from four bat species in seven different locations around the city of Bourges in France. We present for the first time the presence of alpha-CoVs in French Pipistrellus pipistrellus bat species with an estimated prevalence of 4.2%. Based on the analysis of a fragment of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene, phylogenetic analyses show that alpha-CoVs sequences detected in French bats are closely related to other European bat alpha-CoVs. Phylogeographic analyses of RdRp sequences show that several CoVs strains circulate in European bats: (i) old strains detected that have probably diverged a long time ago and are detected in different bat subspecies; (ii) strains detected in Myotis and Pipistrellus bat species that have more recently diverged. Our findings support previous observations describing the complexity of the detected CoVs in bats worldwide.
Highlights
In 2012, a novel coronavirus (CoV), the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV, emerged in humans in the Arabian Peninsula [1]
In Europe, bats are often the only wild mammals living in human habitats
We present the first report of alpha-CoV RNA detection in French bats and the phylogeographic relationships between European alpha-CoVs, based on the analyses of previously published sequences of bat alpha-CoVs
Summary
In 2012, a novel coronavirus (CoV), the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV, emerged in humans in the Arabian Peninsula [1]. In the order of Chiroptera, are widely distributed across various ecosystems They constitute one of the largest groups of mammals, second in number of species after Rodentia and first in terms of individuals present on Earth [4]. Using phylogeographic analyses, it has been shown that the HIV outbreak was due to repeated introductions of simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) in the human population [11]. These tools are used to study the spread of the flu outbreak in 2009 or to speculate on the origin of human hepatitis B [12,13]. We present the first report of alpha-CoV RNA detection in French bats and the phylogeographic relationships between European alpha-CoVs, based on the analyses of previously published sequences of bat alpha-CoVs
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