BackgroundFruit bats are known to harbor zoonotic paramyxoviruses including Nipah, Hendra, and Menangle viruses. The aim of this study was to detect the presence of paramyxovirus RNA in fruit bats from Indonesia.MethodsRNA samples were obtained from the spleens of 110 fruit bats collected from four locations in Indonesia. All samples were screened by semi-nested broad spectrum reverse transcription PCR targeting the paramyxovirus polymerase (L) genes.ResultsSemi-nested reverse transcription PCR detected five previously unidentified paramyxoviruses from six fruit bats. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these virus sequences were related to henipavirus or rubulavirus.ConclusionsThis study indicates the presence of novel paramyxoviruses among fruit bat populations in Indonesia.

Bats are known to harbor emerging RNA viruses. Recent studies have used high-throughput sequencing technology to identify various virus species, including DNA viruses that are harbored by bats; however, little is known about the nature of these potentially novel viruses. Here, we report the characterization of a novel herpesvirus isolated from an Indonesian pteropodid bat. The virus, tentatively named fruit bat alphaherpesvirus 1 (FBAHV1), has a double-stranded DNA genome of 149,459 bp. The phylogenetic analyses suggested that FBAHV1 is phylogenetically grouped with simplexviruses within the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae. Inoculation of FBAHV1 into laboratory mice caused a lethal infection. Virus infection was observed in lung, liver, and brain tissue. Serological and PCR screening revealed that fruit bats infected with FBAHV1 or its related virus are widely distributed in Indonesia. The identification of FBAHV1 makes a considerable contribution to our understanding of simplexviruses associated with bats. IMPORTANCEBats are known to harbor emerging viruses, such as lyssaviruses, henipaviruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome-like coronaviruses, and filoviruses. Although alphaherpesviruses are disseminated in humans and other animals, there is little information about their distribution in bats. Here, we isolated a previously unknown alphaherpesvirus from an Indonesian fruit bat. Genome sequence analysis suggested that the virus is a member of the genus Simplexvirus within the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae, which also includes common human viruses, such as herpes simplex virus 1 and herpes simplex virus 2. FBAHV1 is the first batderived alphaherpesvirus whose complete genome has been sequenced.

During 2016–2018, we conducted surveillance for Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in mosquitoes and pigs in Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that our isolates (genotypes Ia, Ib, III, IV) were related to JEV isolates obtained from the same regions many years ago. Indigenous JEV strains persist in Asia.

Ticks are one of the arthropods that play an important role in the transmission of numerous pathogens to livestock and humans. We investigated the presence of tick‐borne bacteria in 23 Amblyomma varanense that fed on a water monitor (Varanus salvator) in Indonesia. Anaplasmataceae and borreliae were detected by PCR in 17.4% and 95.7% of ticks, respectively. “Candidatus Rickettsia sepangensis”, spotted fever group of Rickettsia, was detected in 21.7% of ticks. The water monitor is a common reptile that is widely encountered in city areas in Asian countries. Our results suggested that Am. varanense on water monitor in Indonesia harbored several kinds of bacteria.

Propolis is a resinous substance collected by stingless bee or honey bee from various plant sources. The substance is known to contain beneficial properties for human. The geographical origin of propolis determines its biological properties. In this study, propolis were collected from five regions of Indonesia with the objective of determining the yield, their total flavonoid content, their capacity to induce apoptosis, and their toxicity to the Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cell line. The inhibition of antioxidant 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), the induction of apoptosis to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the anticytotoxic ability were determined. Propolis from Pekanbaru region had higher yield than other regions with value of 19.97%; propolis from Kendal had higher quantity with value of 46.60%, total flavonoid content; propolis from Pandeglang was higher in DPPH oxidation capacity with value of 68.94 μg.ml -1 ; propolis from Kendal, expressed petite cell induction in S. cerevisiae cells with value of 81.44%, and the anticytotoxic to MCF-7 breast cancer cell line were best observed in propolis from Makassar region with a value of 47.71% life cells. All of the propolis extracted from the stingless bee hive Trigona spp from five regions in Indonesia contained flavonoids.