Background Equine parvovirus‐hepatitis (EqPV‐H) research is in its infancy. Information regarding prevalence, geographical distribution, genetic diversity, pathogenesis and risk factors enhances understanding of this potentially fatal infection. Objectives Determining the prevalence of EqPV‐H in Austrian equids. Investigating factors increasing probability of infection, liver‐associated biochemistry parameters, concurrent equine hepacivirus (EqHV) infection and phylogenetic analysis of Austrian EqPV‐H variants. Study design Cross‐sectional study. Methods Sera from 259 horses and 13 donkeys in Austria were analysed for anti‐EqPV‐H VP1‐specific antibodies by luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) and EqPV‐H DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Associations between infection status, sex and age were described. Glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), gamma‐glutamyl transferase (GGT), bile acids and albumin concentrations were compared between horses with active infection and PCR‐negative horses. PCR targeting partial EqPV‐H NS1 was performed and phylogenetic analysis of Austrian EqPV‐H variants was conducted. Complete coding sequences (CDS) of four Austrian variants were determined by next‐generation sequencing (NGS) and compared with published sequences. Results Horses' EqPV‐H seroprevalence was 30.1% and DNA prevalence was 8.9%. One horse was co‐infected with EqHV. Significantly, higher probability of active EqPV‐H infection was identified in 16‐ to 31‐year‐old horses, compared with 1‐ to 8‐year‐old horses (P = 0.002; OR = 8.19; 95% CI = 1.79 to 37.50) and 9‐ to 15‐year‐old horses (P = 0.03; OR = 2.96; 95% CI = 1.08 to 8.17). Liver‐associated plasma parameters were not significantly different between horses with active infection and controls. Austrian EqPV‐H variants revealed high similarity to sequences worldwide. No evidence of EqPV‐H was detected in donkeys. Main limitations Equids’ inclusion depended upon owner consent. There was only one sampling point per animal and the sample of donkeys was small. Conclusions EqPV‐H antibodies and DNA are frequently detected in Austrian horses, without associated hepatitis in horses with active infection. The risk of active EqPV‐H infection increases with increasing age. Phylogenetic evidence supports close relation of EqPV‐H variants globally, including Austrian variants.

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A metagenomic study was performed on 498 female and 40 male Aedes albopictus mosquitos collected in August and September 2019 in Ticino, a region in southern Switzerland, to address the question regarding the risk of the local transmission of zoonotic viruses. A total of 13 viruses from seven different virus families and several unclassified viral taxa were identified. Reads of insect-specific flaviviruses were present in all pools, and a complete genome of aedes flavivirus was assembled and phylogenetically analysed. The most abundant virus was Wenzhou sobemo-like virus, assembled from 1.3 × 105 to 3.6 × 106 reads in each pool. In a pool of male mosquitos, a complete genome of aedes Iflavi-like virus was detected and phylogenetically analysed. Most importantly, genomes of human pathogenic viruses were not found. This is the first study to determine the virome of Ae. albopictus from Switzerland and forms a baseline for future longitudinal investigations concerning the potential role of Ae. albopictus as a vector of clinically relevant viruses.

Many recent disease outbreaks in humans had a zoonotic virus etiology. Bats in particular have been recognized as reservoirs to a large variety of viruses with the potential to cross-species transmission. In order to assess the risk of bats in Switzerland for such transmissions, we determined the virome of tissue and fecal samples of 14 native and 4 migrating bat species. In total, sequences belonging to 39 different virus families, 16 of which are known to infect vertebrates, were detected. Contigs of coronaviruses, adenoviruses, hepeviruses, rotaviruses A and H, and parvoviruses with potential zoonotic risk were characterized in more detail. Most interestingly, in a ground stool sample of a Vespertilio murinus colony an almost complete genome of a Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was detected by Next generation sequencing and confirmed by PCR. In conclusion, bats in Switzerland naturally harbour many different viruses. Metagenomic analyses of non-invasive samples like ground stool may support effective surveillance and early detection of viral zoonoses.