Abstract
Bats are widespread mammals of the order Chiroptera. They are key for ecosystem functioning, participating in crucial processes. Their unique ability amongst mammals to fly long distances, their frequently large population sizes, and their longevity favor infectious agent persistence and spread. This includes a large variety of viruses, encompassing many important zoonotic ones that cause severe diseases in humans and domestic animals. Despite this, the understanding of the viral ecological diversity residing in bat populations remains unclear, which complicates the determination of the origins of zoonotic viruses. To gain knowledge on the viral community of a widely distributed insectivorous bat species, we characterized the guano virome of a native Chilean bat species (Myotis chiloensis (Waterhouse, 1840)). By applying a novel enrichment strategy, we were able to secure a consequent percentage of viral reads, providing unprecedented resolution for a bat virome. This in turn enabled us to identify and assemble a new bat alphacoronavirus from Chilean bats closely related to PEDV, an important viral pathogen with high mortality rates in suckling piglets. This study highlights the importance of applying and improving high-resolution virome studies in this vital order to ultimately enhance epidemiological surveillance for potentially zoonotic pathogens.
Highlights
Published: 20 January 2022Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera that can be found in all continents except the polar regions and some oceanic islands [1]
East respiratory syndrome (MERS), as well as the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, have been reported with increasing frequency [32,33]. All these outbreaks have been linked to a suspected zoonotic origin from bat-borne viruses [11]
The only mammal capable of powered flight display features that are unique among this animal class, a long lifespan relative to body size, a low rate of tumorigenesis, and an exceptional ability to carry diverse viruses without developing signs of clinical disease
Summary
Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera that can be found in all continents except the polar regions and some oceanic islands [1]. They are the second most widely distributed mammalian group after rodents and are represented by at least 1400 extant species worldwide [1,2,3]. Spillage of pathogens between different animal species can occur sporadically. This can result from accidental or deliberate intrusion by one animal species into the ecological niche of another [6]
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