Abstract
SummaryBats and rodents are being increasingly recognized as reservoirs of emerging zoonotic viruses. Various studies have investigated bat viruses in tropical regions, but to date there are no data regarding viruses with zoonotic potential that circulate in bat and rat populations in Viet Nam. To address this paucity of data, we sampled three bat farms and three wet markets trading in rat meat in the Mekong Delta region of southern Viet Nam. Faecal and urine samples were screened for the presence of RNA from paramyxoviruses, coronaviruses and filoviruses. Paramyxovirus RNA was detected in 4 of 248 (1%) and 11 of 222 (4.9%) bat faecal and urine samples, respectively. Coronavirus RNA was detected in 55 of 248 (22%) of bat faecal samples; filovirus RNA was not detected in any of the bat samples. Further, coronavirus RNA was detected in 12 of 270 (4.4%) of rat faecal samples; all samples tested negative for paramyxovirus. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the bat paramyxoviruses and bat and rat coronaviruses were related to viruses circulating in bat and rodent populations globally, but showed no cross‐species mixing of viruses between bat and rat populations within Viet Nam. Our study shows that potentially novel variants of paramyxoviruses and coronaviruses commonly circulate in bat and rat populations in Viet Nam. Further characterization of the viruses and additional human and animal surveillance is required to evaluate the likelihood of viral spillover and to assess whether these viruses pose a risk to human health.
Highlights
A large proportion of the agents of emergent infectious disease have a zoonotic origin
Animal viruses with zoonotic potential have likely been circulating continually, a high number of zoonotic RNA viruses have been discovered in recent years
For both paramyxovirus and coronavirus, partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) sequences were aligned with subsets of publicly available reference sequences, yielding an 84-s equence data set for paramyxoviruses (344 bp; sites 14210– 14553 within the genome), a 153-sequence data set for alphacoronaviruses and a 93-sequence data set for betacoronaviruses (407 bp; sites 15149–15565 within the genome), using Seqotron (Fourment & Holmes, 2016)
Summary
A large proportion of the agents of emergent infectious disease have a zoonotic origin These zoonotic pathogens fall into a wide spectrum of genera, but due to their high genetic variability and wide circulation, RNA viruses arguably pose the most significant threat to human health. Animal viruses with zoonotic potential have likely been circulating continually, a high number of zoonotic RNA viruses have been discovered in recent years This phenomenon is dependent on more thorough and enhanced detection methods but is likely associated with the changing behaviour of human populations and the closer proximity between humans and the animals that act as reservoirs for these viruses (Calisher, Childs, Field, Holmes, & Schountz, 2006; Moratelli & Calisher, 2015; Sasaki et al, 2012; Wong, Lau, Woo, & Yuen, 2007). The modification and destruction of natural habitats increase the likelihood of contact between bats and humans, providing new opportunities for interspecies viral exchange
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
