Abstract
To prevent the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases and reduce their epidemic potential, we need to understand their origins in nature. Bats in the order Chiroptera are widely distributed worldwide and are natural reservoirs of prominent zoonotic viruses, including Nipah virus, Marburg virus, and possibly SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we applied unbiased metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches to decipher the virosphere of frugivorous and insectivorous bat species captured in Guéckédou, Guinea, the epicenter of the West African Ebola virus disease epidemic in 2013–2016. Our study provides a snapshot of the viral diversity present in these bat species, with several novel viruses reported for the first time in bats, as well as some bat viruses closely related to known human or animal pathogens. In addition, analysis of Mops condylurus genomic DNA samples revealed the presence of an Ebola virus nucleoprotein (NP)-derived pseudogene inserted in its genome. These findings provide insight into the evolutionary traits of several virus families in bats and add evidence that nonretroviral integrated RNA viruses (NIRVs) derived from filoviruses may be common in bat genomes.
Highlights
Because phylogenetic studies show that these sequences are essentially paleovirus sequences, these findings indicate that filoviruses are ancient and have a long relationship with these mammalian species
Bats were sampled in eight locations in the Guéckédou prefecture over the course of five days, between 10 and 15 April 2017
Phylogenetic analysis based on partial RdRp amino acid sequences of the novel paramyxoviruses detected in this study and on other previously identified representative members of Paramyxoviridae revealed that they belong to the unclassified Paramyxoviridae group, which forms a distinct and well-defined lineage of bat-related viruses within the Paramyxoviridae phylogeny (Figure 5c). These findings suggest an extension of the geographic and host ranges of the members of this virus family, and that bats may have a global role as potential paramyxoviruses reservoirs
Summary
Due to their biodiversity, rainforest areas of Central and Western Africa are considered hotspots for the emergence of zoonotic viruses, and a number of prominent viruses with epidemic potential have been identified in this region [1]. 75% of emerging infectious diseases in humans are zoonoses [2,3]. The rate of detection of zoonotic viruses has increased in past decades, possibly due to improved diagnostic capacity and surveillance efforts [4,5]. Many novel pathogens that have caused epidemics and pandemics have
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
