Molecular diversity of coronaviruses in bats.
The existence of coronaviruses in bats is unknown until the recent discovery of bat-SARS-CoV in Chinese horseshoe bats and a novel group 1 coronavirus in other bat species. Among 309 bats of 13 species captured from 20 different locations in rural areas of Hong Kong over a 16-month period, coronaviruses were amplified from anal swabs of 37 (12%) bats by RT-PCR. Phylogenetic analysis of RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase (pol) and helicase genes revealed six novel coronaviruses from six different bat species, in addition to the two previously described coronaviruses. Among the six novel coronaviruses, four were group 1 coronaviruses (bat-CoV HKU2 from Chinese horseshoe bat, bat-CoV HKU6 from rickett's big-footed bat, bat-CoV HKU7 from greater bent-winged bat and bat-CoV HKU8 from lesser bent-winged bat) and two were group 2 coronaviruses (bat-CoV HKU4 from lesser bamboo bats and bat-CoV HKU5 from Japanese pipistrelles). An astonishing diversity of coronaviruses was observed in bats.
Woo
Patrick C Y
PC
Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, University Pathology Building, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong.
Lau
Susanna K P
SK
Li
Kenneth S M
KS
Poon
Rosana W S
RW
Wong
Beatrice H L
BH
Tsoi
Hoi-wah
HW
Yip
Bethanie C K
BC
Huang
Yi
Y
Chan
Kwok-hung
KH
Yuen
Kwok-yung
KY
D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D003332:Coronaviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny