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...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hemnani, Mahima, Da Silva, Priscilla Gomes, Thompson, Gertrude, Poeta, Patrícia, Rebelo, Hugo, Mesquita, João R.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Zenodo 2024
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Chordata
Animalia
bats
bat
Pipistrellus pipistrellus
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13455371
https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13455371
Description
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 ...

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