Abstract
BackgroundWith the recent discovery of novel H17N10 and H18N11 influenza viral RNA in bats and report on high frequency of avian H9 seroconversion in a species of free ranging bats, an important issue to address is the extent bats are susceptible to conventional avian and human influenza A viruses.MethodTo this end, three bat species (Eidolon helvum, Carollia perspicillata and Tadarida brasiliensis) of lung epithelial cells were separately infected with two avian and two human influenza viruses to determine their relative host innate immune resistance to infection.ResultsAll three species of bat cells were more resistant than positive control Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells to all four influenza viruses. TB1-Lu cells lacked sialic acid α2,6-Gal receptors and were most resistant among the three bat species. Interestingly, avian viruses were relatively more replication permissive in all three bat species of cells than with the use of human viruses which suggest that bats could potentially play a role in the ecology of avian influenza viruses. Chemical inhibition of the JAK-STAT pathway in bat cells had no effect on virus production suggesting that type I interferon signalling is not a major factor in resisting influenza virus infection.ConclusionAlthough all three species of bat cells are relatively more resistant to influenza virus infection than control MDCK cells, they are more permissive to avian than human viruses which suggest that bats could have a contributory role in the ecology of avian influenza viruses.
Highlights
With the recent discovery of novel H17N10 and H18N11 influenza viral RNA in bats and report on high frequency of avian H9 seroconversion in a species of free ranging bats, an important issue to address is the extent bats are susceptible to conventional avian and human influenza A viruses
Bat respiratory epithelial cells were more resistant to influenza virus infection than Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells but were relatively more permissive to avian than human virus strains Despite speculation that bats may be potential hosts for conventional influenza viruses, few studies have examined the infectious relationship between influenza viruses and bats
Lung epithelial cells derived from three bat species, T. brasiliensis (TB1-Lu) E. helvum and C. perspicillata (C. perspic), were subjected to virus infection using two low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) viruses, low pathogenicity avian influenza H2N3 (H2N3) and low pathogenicity avian influenza H6N1 (H6N1) virus, and two human influenza viruses, USSR human USSR H1N1 (H1N1) and pdm H1N1 virus, at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1.0, based on focus forming assays
Summary
Two novel influenza viruses, H17N10 and H18N11, were identified in bats by deep sequencing analyses ( live viruses have not been directly isolated) which have understandably caused much speculation about their zoonotic potential [6]. These viruses are, highly divergent from conventional mammalian and avian influenza A viruses. Bat viral ribonucleopolymerase (vRNP) complex subunits (PB1, PB1 and PA) were not functionally interchangeable with corresponding human virus-derived vRNP subunits suggesting there is limited reassortment potential between bat and human influenza viruses [8]. The issue of functional reassortment between native bat and conventional influenza A viruses has not been fully resolved, its likelihood is presently considered low
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