Circulation of Group 2 Coronaviruses in a Bat Species Common to Urban Areas in Western Europe

• Published in: Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases
• Main Authors: Reusken, C.B.E.M., Lina, P.H.C., Pielaat, A., de Vries, A., Dam-Deisz, C., Adema, J., Drexler, J.F., Drosten, C., Kooi, E.A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: acute respiratory syndrome; chinese horseshoe bats; diversity; humans; prevalence; sequence; swine; virus; Nyctalus noctula; Pipistrellus pipistrellus
• Online Access: https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/circulation-of-group-2-coronaviruses-in-a-bat-species-common-to-u; https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2009.0173

Fecal samples of 211 bats representing 13 different bat species from 31 locations in the Netherlands were analyzed for the presence of coronaviruses (CoV) using a genus-wide reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction. CoVs are known for their high potential for interspecies transmission, including zoonotic transmission with bats as reservoir hosts. For the first time, a group 2 CoV was found in a bat, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, in Europe. This is of particular interest for public health as the reservoir host is a species that is common to urban areas in most of Europe and notorious for its close interactions with humans. Four verspertilionid bat species were found to excrete group 1 CoVs, viz. Myotis daubentonii, M. dasycneme, P. pipistrellus, and Nyctalus noctula. The last species is a newly identified reservoir. The overall prevalence was 16.9% and positive bats were found at multiple widespread locations. The circulating group 1 CoV lineages were rather species associated than location associated.