title: Detection of diverse astroviruses from bats in China.
abstract: Astroviruses infect humans and many different animal species and are associated with gastroenteritis. Recent studies first detected the virus from bat species in Hong Kong. To understand astrovirus distribution in the wider region further, we examined the prevalence of this virus family in bat specimens collected from a large geographical region of mainland China. We collected 500 anal swabs from 20 bat species in 51 natural habitats from 11 provinces of China and tested these for astroviruses. Our study revealed a remarkably high genetic diversity of astroviruses; five monophyletic groups were identified in bats, including two novel groups. Evidence for varying degrees of host restriction for astroviruses from bats has been found. Phylogenetic analyses also provided insight into the inter-species transmission of Mamastrovirus.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Hua Chen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Daniel K W
authors.initials: DKW
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning 530021, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning 530021, PR China.
authors.forename: Bai Qing
authors.initials: BQ
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: East China Normal University, Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: Shu Yi
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Jin Xia
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Li Feng
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Dhanasekaran
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vijaykrishna
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Gavin J D
authors.initials: GJD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Hong Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Leo L M
authors.initials: LLM
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.affiliation: HKU-Pasteur Research Centre, Hong Kong SAR.|State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: J S Malik
authors.initials: JSM
authors.lastname: Peiris
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000145:classification / Q000821:virology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity