Presence of Alphacoronavirus in Tree- and Crevice-Dwelling Bats from Portugal ...
(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Coronaviruses (CoVs) are RNA viruses capable of infecting a wide range of hosts, including mammals and birds, and have caused significant epidemics such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Bats, the second most diverse mammalian order, are hosts for v...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
Zenodo
2024
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13455370 https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13455370 |
Summary: | (Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Coronaviruses (CoVs) are RNA viruses capable of infecting a wide range of hosts, including mammals and birds, and have caused significant epidemics such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Bats, the second most diverse mammalian order, are hosts for various CoVs due to their unique immune responses and ecological traits. This study investigates CoV prevalence in crevice- and tree-dwelling bats in Portugal, a country with limited prior research on bat CoVs. Using nested RT-PCR and sequencing, we screened 87 stool samples from bats, identifying one sample (1.15%) that was positive for Alphacoronavirus, belonging to Pipistrellus pipistrellus. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close genetic relationships with Alphacoronavirus strains from the same bat species in Europe. The low prevalence suggests habitat-specific differences in viral transmission, with cave-dwelling bats exhibiting higher CoV prevalence due to population density and behaviour. These findings ... |
---|