Identification of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-like virus in a leaf-nosed bat in Nigeria.

Phenix-Lan Quan1 Cadhla Firth Craig Street Jose A Henriquez Alexandra Petrosov Alla Tashmukhamedova Stephen K Hutchison Michael Egholm Modupe O V Osinubi Michael Niezgoda Albert B Ogunkoya Thomas Briese Charles E Rupprecht W Ian Lipkin
Affiliations 1 institutions
  1. Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. [email protected]

Abstract

Bats are reservoirs for emerging zoonotic viruses that can have a profound impact on human and animal health, including lyssaviruses, filoviruses, paramyxoviruses, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronaviruses (SARS-CoVs). In the course of a project focused on pathogen discovery in contexts where human-bat contact might facilitate more efficient interspecies transmission of viruses, we surveyed gastrointestinal tissue obtained from bats collected in caves in Nigeria that are frequented by humans. Coronavirus consensus PCR and unbiased high-throughput pyrosequencing revealed the presence of coronavirus sequences related to those of SARS-CoV in a Commerson's leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros commersoni). Additional genomic sequencing indicated that this virus, unlike subgroup 2b CoVs, which includes SARS-CoV, is unique, comprising three overlapping open reading frames between the M and N genes and two conserved stem-loop II motifs. Phylogenetic analyses in conjunction with these features suggest that this virus represents a new subgroup within group 2 CoVs.

Supporting text Virus Host Location
Animals 1948 Chiroptera 371 Disease Reservoirs 149 Humans 1440 Molecular Sequence Data 160 Nigeria 19 Phylogeny 805 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 22 Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 78

Evidence records

2 total
Zoonotic Surveillance
1 records · 1 evidence types
Evidence type
1 records
OVE887
Key finding

Coronavirus sequences related to SARS-CoV were detected in a Commerson's leaf-nosed bat from Nigeria using PCR and pyrosequencing.

Virus
Host
Location
Supporting text

In the course of a project focused on pathogen discovery in contexts where human-bat contact might facilitate more efficient interspecies transmission of viruses, we surveyed gastrointestinal tissue obtained from bats collected in caves in Nigeria that are frequented by humans. Coronavirus consensus PCR and unbiased high-throughput pyrosequencing revealed the presence of coronavirus sequences related to those of SARS-CoV in a Commerson's leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros commersoni).

Method
consensus PCR | high-throughput pyrosequencing
Sample type
gastrointestinal tissue
Geographic raw
Nigeria
Country inferred
NGA
Genomic Evolution
1 records · 1 evidence types
Evidence type
1 records
OVE888
Key finding

Phylogenetic analysis showed that the coronavirus detected in a Commerson's leaf-nosed bat from Nigeria represents a new subgroup within group 2 coronaviruses, distinct from subgroup 2b that includes SARS-CoV.

Virus
Host
Location
Not specified
Supporting text

Coronavirus consensus PCR and unbiased high-throughput pyrosequencing revealed the presence of coronavirus sequences related to those of SARS-CoV in a Commerson's leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros commersoni). Phylogenetic analyses in conjunction with these features suggest that this virus represents a new subgroup within group 2 CoVs.

Genes or proteins
M gene | N gene
Analysis methods
phylogenetic analysis | genomic sequencing