Metagenomic study of the viruses of African straw-coloured fruit bats: Detection of a chiropteran poxvirus and isolation of a novel adenovirus

Kate S. Baker, Richard M. Leggett, Nicholas H. Bexfield, Mark Alston, Gordon Daly, Shawn Todd, Mary Tachedjian, Clare E.G. Holmes, Sandra Crameri, Lin Fa Wang, Jonathan L. Heeney, Richard Suu-Ire, Paul Kellam, Andrew A. Cunningham, James L.N. Wood, Mario Caccamo, Pablo R. Murcia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

120 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Viral emergence as a result of zoonotic transmission constitutes a continuous public health threat. Emerging viruses such as SARS coronavirus, hantaviruses and henipaviruses have wildlife reservoirs. Characterising the viruses of candidate reservoir species in geographical hot spots for viral emergence is a sensible approach to develop tools to predict, prevent, or contain emergence events. Here, we explore the viruses of Eidolon helvum, an Old World fruit bat species widely distributed in Africa that lives in close proximity to humans. We identified a great abundance and diversity of novel herpes and papillomaviruses, described the isolation of a novel adenovirus, and detected, for the first time, sequences of a chiropteran poxvirus closely related with Molluscum contagiosum. In sum, E. helvum display a wide variety of mammalian viruses, some of them genetically similar to known human pathogens, highlighting the possibility of zoonotic transmission.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)95-106
Number of pages12
JournalVirology
Volume441
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Jul 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adenovirus
  • Bat
  • Megabat
  • Metagenomics
  • Poxvirus
  • Viral emergence
  • Virome

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