title: Discovery of herpesviruses in bats.
abstract: Seven novel gammaherpesviruses (GHV) and one novel betaherpesvirus were discovered in seven different European bat species (order Chiroptera, family Vespertilionidae) with a pan-herpesvirus PCR assay, targeting the DNA polymerase (DPOL) gene. The sequences of six bat GHV were similarly related to members of the gammaherpesvirus genera Percavirus and Rhadinovirus. The seventh GHV was related to the porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus 1 (genus Macavirus). The betaherpesvirus appeared to be a distant relative of human cytomegalovirus. For three bat GHV a 3.6 kbp locus was amplified and sequenced, spanning part of the glycoprotein B gene and the majority of the DPOL gene. In phylogenetic analysis, the three bat GHV formed a separate clade with similar distance to the Percavirus and Rhadinovirus clades. These novel viruses are the first herpesviruses to be described in bats.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Wildlife Diseases - Pathology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wibbelt
authors.affiliation: Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurth
authors.affiliation: Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Nezlisah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yasmum
authors.affiliation: Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bannert
authors.affiliation: Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagel
authors.affiliation: Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nitsche
authors.affiliation: Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ehlers
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018141:Betaherpesvirinae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D018142:Gammaherpesvirinae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018144:Rhadinovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins