Abstract
Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV; Reoviridae: Spinareovirinae) is an emerging bat-borne zoonotic virus that causes influenza-like illness (ILI). PRV has thus far been found only in Australia and Asia, where diverse old-world fruit bats (Pteropodidae) serve as hosts. In this study, we report the discovery of PRV in Africa, in an Angolan soft-furred fruit bat (Lissonycteris angolensis ruwenzorii) from Bundibugyo District, Uganda. Metagenomic characterization of a rectal swab yielded 10 dsRNA genome segments, revealing this virus to cluster within the known diversity of PRV variants detected in bats and humans in Southeast Asia. Phylogeographic analyses revealed a correlation between geographic distance and genetic divergence of PRVs globally, which suggests a geographic continuum of PRV diversity spanning Southeast Asia to sub-Saharan Africa. The discovery of PRV in an African bat dramatically expands the geographic range of this zoonotic virus and warrants further surveillance for PRVs outside of Southeast Asia.
Highlights
Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV; Reoviridae: Spinareovirinae) is a bat-borne zoonosis that causes upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), ranging from mild respiratory symptoms to influenza-like illness (ILI), in Southeast Asia [1,2,3,4]
PRV1NB was a novelty among mammalian orthoreoviruses, as it was (Pteropus poliocephalus) [6]
PRV1NB was a novelty among mammalian orthoreoviruses, as it was capable of forming multinucleated syncytia via a fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) protein akin to the avian reoviruses (ARV) [5]
Summary
Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV; Reoviridae: Spinareovirinae) is a bat-borne zoonosis that causes upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), ranging from mild respiratory symptoms to influenza-like illness (ILI), in Southeast Asia [1,2,3,4]. PRV is a fusogenic orthoreovirus with 10 dsRNA segments (S1-4, M1-3, L1-3) [5]. PRV is only distantly related to other mammalian orthoreoviruses (MRV), and is nested within a clade of fusogenic viruses that cause significant pathology in reptiles and birds [5]. First isolated in 1968 from a flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) in Australia [6], variants of PRV have since been detected in diverse pteropodid bats across Asia [7,8,9,10] and in residents of, and travelers to, Southeast Asia [1,11,12,13]. The reoviruses (respiratory enteric orphan viruses; family Reoviridae) contain non-enveloped, segmented dsRNA viruses that cause distinct pathologies in diverse hosts [14]. For nearly 30 years, the original variant of PRV, Nelson Bay virus (PRV1NB), remained a singular curiosity as the lone mammalian fusogenic orthoreovirus [16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
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