Detection of adenovirus, papillomavirus and parvovirus in Brazilian bats of the species Artibeus lituratus and Sturnira lilium

Abstract

Bats play a significant role in maintaining their ecosystems through pollination, dispersal of seeds, and control of insect populations, but they are also known to host many microorganisms and have been described as natural reservoirs for viruses with zoonotic potential. The diversity of viruses in these animals remains largely unknown, however, because studies are limited by species, location, virus target, or sample type. Therefore, the aim of this study was to detect fragments of viral genomes in bat samples. We performed high-throughput sequencing analysis and specific PCR and RT-PCR on pools of anal and oropharyngeal swabs from Artibeus lituratus and Sturnira lilium collected in southern Brazil. As a result, a member of the family Adenoviridae related to human adenovirus C was detected in anal swabs from S. lilium. In addition, we detected a papillomavirus in an anal swab from A. lituratus. Our analyses also allowed the detection of adenoviruses and parvoviruses in oropharyngeal swabs collected from A. lituratus. These results increase our knowledge about viral diversity and illustrate the importance of conducting virus surveillance in bats.

Novel Chaphamaparvovirus in Insectivorous Molossus molossus Bats, from the Brazilian Amazon Region

“…The results showed that the sequences identified in this study are monophyletic and belong to the same CHPV lineage because they have 96% of identity in the NS1 gene region. Phylogenetic trees also show that the closest CHPV to our sequences are closely related with sequences previously identified in hematophagous Desmodus rotundus bats in southeast Brazil [ 40 ] and insectivorous Artibeus lituratus bats from South Brazil [ 72 ]. The median identity between our sequences and the Desmodus rotundus CHPV is 76%.…”

Interaction between MHC diversity and constitution, gut microbiota and Astrovirus infections in a neotropical bat

“…Limitations of the current work emerge from uncertainty concerning the direction of associations among the host's immune response, shifts in gut microbial composition and pathogenic impacts (Hooks & O'Malley, 2017). We cannot rule out that the associations with MHC and pathogen resistance stem from linked genes that, for instance, affect physiology, thus altering conditions in the gut and influence the abundance of specific gut microbes and microbiota-mediated (Canuti et al, 2011;Finoketti et al, 2019), the immune system and microbiota are probably challenged by other parasites than just AstV, which, in turn, might blur links between the MHC, microbial diversity and AstV infection. Additionally, our nondestructive, low-impact AstV assessment cannot address the prolonged impacts recent infections have on the microbiota of recovering bats.…”

“…A factor heedlessly ignored in this ménage ‐ à ‐ trois are co‐infections. Particularly in a bat family frequently infected with multiple parasites (Canuti et al, 2011; Finoketti et al, 2019), the immune system and microbiota are probably challenged by other parasites than just AstV, which, in turn, might blur links between the MHC, microbial diversity and AstV infection. Additionally, our nondestructive, low‐impact AstV assessment cannot address the prolonged impacts recent infections have on the microbiota of recovering bats.…”

Metagenomic analysis of fecal and tissue samples from 18 endemic bat species in Switzerland revealed a diverse virus composition including potentially zoonotic viruses

“…Adenoviruses have been detected in bats from several countries including Italy, Germany, China, and Hungary, however, the number of different adenoviruses detected in bats is small [ 36 , 40 , 81 , 82 , 106 , 107 ]. The genus Mastadenovirus has been thought to infect only mammals, including humans [ 36 , 108 , 109 ].…”