Detection of alpha and betacoronaviruses in multiple Iberian bat species

• Published in: Archives of virology Vol. 156; no. 10; pp. 1883 - 1890
• Main Authors: Falcón, Ana, Vázquez-Morón, Sonia, Casas, Inmaculada, Aznar, Carolina, Ruiz, Guillermo, Pozo, Francisco, Perez-Breña, Pilar, Juste, Javier, Ibáñez, Carlos, Garin, Inazio, Aihartza, Joxerra, Echevarría, Juan E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01-10-2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Bats; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brief Report; Chiroptera - classification; Chiroptera - virology; Coronaviridae - classification; Coronaviridae - genetics; Coronaviridae - isolation & purification; Coronaviridae Infections - veterinary; Coronaviridae Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; Feces - virology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genome, Viral; Humans; Infectious Diseases; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Polymerase chain reaction; SARS coronavirus; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Virology; Zoonoses; Iberian Peninsula; Europe; Spain; Iberian Peninsula; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome; Faecal Sample; Rabies; Detection
• ISSN: 0304-8608; 1432-8798
• DOI: 10.1007/s00705-011-1057-1

Bat coronaviruses (CoV) are putative precursors of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) CoV and other CoV that crossed the species barrier from zoonotic reservoirs into the human population. To determine the presence and distribution of CoV in Iberian bats, 576 individuals of 26 different bat species were captured in 13 locations in Spain. We report for the first time the presence of 14 coronaviruses in 9 Iberian bat species. Phylogenetic analysis of a conserved CoV genome region (RdRp gene) shows a wide diversity and distribution of alpha and betacoronavirus in Spain. Interestingly, although some of these viruses are related to other European BatCoV, or to Asian CoV, some of the viruses found in Spain cluster in new groups of α and β CoV.