title: Detection and prevalence patterns of group I coronaviruses in bats, northern Germany.
abstract: We tested 315 bats from 7 different bat species in northern Germany for coronaviruses by reverse transcription-PCR. The overall prevalence was 9.8%. There were 4 lineages of group I coronaviruses in association with 4 different species of verspertilionid bats (Myotis dasycneme, M. daubentonii, Pipistrellus nathusii, P. pygmaeus). The lineages formed a monophyletic clade of bat coronaviruses found in northern Germany. The clade of bat coronaviruses have a sister relationship with a clade of Chinese type I coronaviruses that were also associated with the Myotis genus (M. ricketti). Young age and ongoing lactation, but not sex or existing gravidity, correlated significantly with coronavirus detection. The virus is probably maintained on the population level by amplification and transmission in maternity colonies, rather than being maintained in individual bats.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Bat Protection and Information, Bad Segeberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gloza-Rausch
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ipsen
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seebens
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Göttsche
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panning
authors.forename: Jan Felix
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Drexler
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Augustina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Annan
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grywna
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pfefferle
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drosten
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000145:classification / Q000821:virology*; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence