Alphavirus Identification in Neotropical Bats

Abstract

Alphaviruses (Togaviridae) are arthropod-borne viruses responsible for several emerging diseases, maintained in nature through transmission between hematophagous arthropod vectors and susceptible vertebrate hosts. Although bats harbor many species of viruses, their role as reservoir hosts in emergent zoonoses has been verified only in a few cases. With bats being the second most diverse order of mammals, their implication in arbovirus infections needs to be elucidated. Reports on arbovirus infections in bats are scarce, especially in South American indigenous species. In this work, we report the genomic detection and identification of two different alphaviruses in oral swabs from bats captured in Northern Uruguay. Phylogenetic analysis identified Río Negro virus (RNV) in two different species: Tadarida brasiliensis (n = 6) and Myotis spp. (n = 1) and eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) in Myotis spp. (n = 2). Previous studies of our group identified RNV and EEEV in mosquitoes and horse serology, suggesting that they may be circulating in enzootic cycles in our country. Our findings reveal that bats can be infected by these arboviruses and that chiropterans could participate in the viral natural cycle as virus amplifiers or dead-end hosts. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the role of these mammals in the biological cycle of these alphaviruses in Uruguay.

Rio Negro Virus Infection, Bolivia, 2021

“…Rio Negro virus (RNV; family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus ), a Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) antigenic subtype VI virus, was first reported in 1987 after being isolated from mosquitoes collected in Chaco, Argentina ( 1 ). The virus has since been isolated or molecularly detected in mosquitoes and rodents in Argentina and bats in Uruguay ( 2 – 6 ). Although RNV was serologically associated with an outbreak of undifferentiated febrile illness in Argentina, molecular evidence of RNV infection in humans is lacking ( 4 , 7 , 8 ).…”