title: Highly diversified coronaviruses in neotropical bats.
abstract: Bats host a broad diversity of coronaviruses (CoVs), including close relatives of human pathogens. There is only limited data on neotropical bat CoVs. We analysed faecal, blood and intestine specimens from 1562 bats sampled in Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Brazil for CoVs by broad-range PCR. CoV RNA was detected in 50 bats representing nine different species, both frugivorous and insectivorous. These bat CoVs were unrelated to known human or animal pathogens, indicating an absence of recent zoonotic spill-over events. Based on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp)-based grouping units (RGUs) as a surrogate for CoV species identification, the 50 viruses represented five different alphacoronavirus RGUs and two betacoronavirus RGUs. Closely related alphacoronaviruses were detected in Carollia perspicillata and C. brevicauda across a geographical distance exceeding 5600 km. Our study expands the knowledge on CoV diversity in neotropical bats and emphasizes the association of distinct CoVs and bat host genera.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Victor Max
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Corman
authors.affiliation: University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.|Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rasche
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Thierno Diawo
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Veronika M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Cottontail
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, University Hospital Professor Edgard Santos, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stöcker
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, University Hospital Professor Edgard Santos, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Breno Frederico de Carvalho Dominguez
authors.initials: BFCD
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, University Hospital Professor Edgard Santos, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jefferson Ivan
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Corrêa
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aroldo José Borges
authors.initials: AJB
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Roberto
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Franke
authors.affiliation: Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Edmund Mach, Research and Innovation Centre, Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, S. Michele all'Adige, Italy.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Metz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Mirjam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knörnschild
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama.|Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Elisabeth K V
authors.initials: EKV
authors.lastname: Kalko
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Simon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Ghanem
authors.affiliation: Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: Karen D Sibaja
authors.initials: KDS
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, The Basque Country.|Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Egoitz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salsamendi
authors.affiliation: Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spínola
authors.affiliation: University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Herrler
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Voigt
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama.|Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tschapka
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drosten
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan Felix
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Drexler
mesh_terms: D000569:Americas; D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000821:virology; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000821:virology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007422:Intestines / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D058974:Phylogeography; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase