bat
Bat guano virome: predominance of dietary viruses from insects and plants plus novel mammalian viruses
Bats are hosts to a variety of viruses capable of zoonotic transmissions. Because of  increased contact between bats, humans, and other animal species, the possibility exists  for further cross-species transmissions and ensuing disease outbreaks. We describe here  full and partial viral genomes identified using metagenomics in the guano of bats from  California and Texas. 34% and 58% of 390,000 sequence reads were related to  eukaryotic viruses, the largest proportion of which infect insects, reflecting the diet of  these insectivorous bats, including members of the viral families Dicistroviridae,  Iflaviridae, Tetraviridae, Nodaviridae, and Densovirinae. The second largest number of  viral-related sequences infects plants and fungi, likely reflecting the diet of ingested  insects, including members of the viral families Luteoviridae, Secoviridae, Tymoviridae,  Sobemovirus, and Partitiviridae. Bat guano viruses related to those infecting mammals  comprised the third largest group including members of the viral families Parvoviridae,  Circoviridae, Picornaviridae, Adenoviridae, Poxviridae, Astroviridae, and Coronaviridae.  No close relative of known human viral pathogens were identified in these bat  populations. Phylogenetic analysis was used to clarify the relationship to known viral  taxa of novel sequences detected in bat guano samples showing that some guano viral  sequences fall outside existing taxonomic groups. This initial characterization of the bat  guano virome, the first metagenomic analysis of viruses in wild mammals using second  generation sequencing, therefore showed the presence of previously unidentified viral  species, genera, and possibly families. Viral metagenomics is a useful tool for genetically  characterizing viruses present in animals with the potential capability of direct or indirect  viral zoonosis to human.