Discovery of Novel Alphacoronaviruses in European Rodents and Shrews.
Eight hundred and thirteen European rodents and shrews encompassing seven different species were screened for alphacoronaviruses using PCR detection. Novel alphacoronaviruses were detected in the species Rattus norvegicus, Microtus agrestis, Sorex araneus and Myodes glareolus. These, together with the recently described Lucheng virus found in China, form a distinct rodent/shrew-specific clade within the coronavirus phylogeny. Across a highly conserved region of the viral polymerase gene, the new members of this clade were up to 22% dissimilar at the nucleotide level to the previously described Lucheng virus. As such they might represent distinct species of alphacoronaviruses. These data greatly extend our knowledge of wildlife reservoirs of alphacoronaviruses.
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. stxtt6@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk.
Theocharis
T
Tsoleridis
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. nixoo@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk.
Okechukwu
O
Onianwa
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. stxerh@nottingham.ac.uk.
Emma
E
Horncastle
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. stxed3@nottingham.ac.uk.
Emma
E
Dayman
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. msxmz@nottingham.ac.uk.
Miaoran
M
Zhu
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. taechasit@live.com.
Taechasit
T
Danjittrong
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. mzymw3@nottingham.ac.uk.
Marta
M
Wachtl
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. J.Behnke@nottingham.ac.uk.
Jerzy M
JM
Behnke
Twycross Zoo, Burton Road, Atherstone, Warwickshire CV9 3PX, UK. sarah.chapman@twycrosszoo.org.
Sarah
S
Chapman
Twycross Zoo, Burton Road, Atherstone, Warwickshire CV9 3PX, UK. ntxvjs@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk.
Victoria
V
Strong
Twycross Zoo, Burton Road, Atherstone, Warwickshire CV9 3PX, UK. phillipa.dobbs@twycrosszoo.org.
Phillipa
P
Dobbs
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. jonathan.ball@nottingham.ac.uk.
Jonathan K
JK
Ball
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough LE12 5RD, UK. rachael.tarlinton@nottingham.ac.uk.
Rachael E
RE
Tarlinton
School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. patrick.mcclure@nottingham.ac.uk.
C Patrick
CP
McClure
D000818:Animals; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005060:Europe; D005838:Genotype; D008403:Mass Screening; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012377:Rodentia / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012788:Shrews / Q000821:virology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D014764:Viral Proteins
alphacoronavirus; coronaviruses; rodents; shrews