The close genetic relationship of lineage D Betacoronavirus from Nigerian and Kenyan straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) is consistent with the existence of a single epidemiological unit across sub-Saharan Africa

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• 作者：Stefania Leopardi ; Daniel Oluwayelu ; Clement Meseko ; Sabrina Marciano…
• 刊名：Virus Genes
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：August 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：52
• 期：4
• 页码：573-577
• 全文大小：1,284 KB
• 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
• 刊物主题：Biomedicine
  Medical Microbiology
  Virology
  Plant Sciences
  
• 出版者：Springer Netherlands
• ISSN：1572-994X
• 卷排序：52

文摘

Straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum), which have been identified as natural hosts for several zoonotic pathogens, such as lyssaviruses, henipaviruses, and ebolavirus, are associated with human settlements in Nigeria where they are commonly consumed as a delicacy. However, information on the viruses harbored by these bats is scarce. In this study, coronavirus sequences were detected using a nested RT-PCR targeting 440 bp of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) in six of 79 fecal samples collected from an urban colony of E. helvum in Ibadan, Nigeria. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all six sequences were monophyletic and clustered in lineage D of Betacoronavirus. The extension of two fragments allowed us to classify our sequences within the RdRp Group Unit defined for Kenyan Betacoronavirus from the same host species. These findings are consistent with the previous suggestion on the existence of a single epidemiological unit of E. helvum across sub-Saharan Africa. This theory, which is supported by the genetic structure of continental E. helvum, could facilitate viral mixing between different colonies across the continent.KeywordsFrugivorous batsBetacoronavirusNigeriaEpidemiological niche