Active sero-survey for European bat lyssavirus type-1 circulation in North African insectivorous bats

Serra‐Cobo, Jordi; López-Roig, Marc; Lavenir, Rachel; Abdelatif, Elbia; Boucekkine, Wahida; Elharrak, Mehdi; Harif, Bachir; Ayachi, Sehhar El; Salama, Akram; Nayel, Mohamed; Elsify, Ahmed; Rashedy, Sameh G. El; Benedictis, Paola De; Zecchin, Barbara; Scaravelli, Dino; Balhoul, Chokri; Zaghawa, Ahmed; Hassan, H.; Zaghloul, Ahmed H.; Bourhy, Hervé

doi:10.1038/s41426-018-0214-y

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Indeed, such approaches have been conducted with success for other bat-borne viruses such as lyssavirus (i.e. Lyssavirus hamburg , EBLV-1) (Serra-Cobo et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large circulation of a novel vesiculovirus in bats in the Mediterranean region

Luo,

Harazim,

Maufrais

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Bats are the natural reservoirs of a variety of emerging or re-emerging viruses. Among them, rabies virus (genusLyssavirus, familyRhabdoviridae) is of the first and most iconic described in these animals. Since its first description, various new bat lyssaviruses have been regularly described. Apart from lyssaviruses, other bat rhabdoviruses have been also identified, including members of theVesiculovirus,Ledantevirusand more recentlyAlphanemrhavirusandTupavirusgenera. However, the familyRhabdoviridaeis one of the most abundant and diverse viral families, with 318 officially recognized species divided into 3 subfamilies and 46 different genera. Thus, the number of bat- associated rhabdoviruses is probably higher.In this study, we first developed and validated a combined nested RT-qPCR technique (pan-rhabdo RT-nqPCR) dedicated to the broad detection of animal rhabdovirus. After validation, this technique was used for a large retrospective screening of archival bat samples (n= 1962), including blood (n= 816), brain (n= 723) and saliva (n= 423). These samples were collected from various bat species over a period of 12 years (2007-2019) in 9 different countries in Europe and Africa. A total of 23 samples (1.2%) fromMiniopterus schreibersii,Rhinolophus euryaleandRhinolophus ferrumequinumbat species was found positive for rhabdovirus infection, including 17 (2.1%) blood and 6 (1.4%) saliva samples, all collected from bats originated from the Mediterranean region.The complete virus genome sequences were obtained by next-generation sequencing for most of the positive samples. Molecular and phylogenetic analysis of these sequences demonstrated that these virus isolates, named Mediterranean bat virus (MBV), were closely related, and represented a new speciesVesiculovirus mediterraneanwithin theVesiculovirusgenus. MBV was more specifically related to the other bat vesiculoviruses previously described in China and North America, together clustering into a distinct group of bat viruses within this genus. Interestingly, our results suggest that MBV is widely distributed, at least in the West part of the Mediterranean region, where it can act as an arbovirus infecting and circulating in multiple bat species. These findings expand the host range and the viral diversity of bat vesiculoviruses and pave the way for further investigations to determine the route of transmission and the dynamic of diffusion of these viruses into bat colonies, as well as to evaluate their potential hazard for public health.

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“…Indeed, such approaches have been conducted with success for other bat-borne viruses such as lyssavirus (i.e. Lyssavirus hamburg , EBLV-1) (Serra-Cobo et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large circulation of a novel vesiculovirus in bats in the Mediterranean region

Luo,

Harazim,

Maufrais

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…To date, five different lyssaviruses have been identified in Western Europe: (EBLV-1) hosted by the common serotine (Eptesicus serotinus), European bat lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2) in Daubenton's (Myotis daubentonii) and pond (Myotis dasycneme) bats, the Bokeloh bat lyssavirus (BBLV) in Natterer's bat (Myotis nattereri) [13], the Lleida bat lyssavirus (LLEBV) in bent-winged bats (Miniopterus schreibersii) (review in [14]) and the Kotalahti bat lyssavirus (KBLV) in Brandt's bat (Myotis brandtii) in Finland [15]. EBLV-1 is widely spread in European and North African bat colonies [12,16,17]. Its importance in public health has been raised, as spillovers of EBLV-1 to terrestrial mammals have been described in sheep in Denmark [18], in two cats in France [19], in a stone marten (Martes foina) in Germany [20] and in Egyptian fruit bats (Roussetus aegyptiacus) [21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Case of Lethal Encephalitis in Western Europe Due to European Bat Lyssavirus Type 1

Regnault

Evrard

Plu

et al. 2021

Clinical Infectious Diseases

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Background Inaccurate diagnosis of encephalitis is a major issue as immunosuppressive treatments can be deleterious in case of viral infection. The European bat lyssavirus type 1, a virus related to rabies virus, is endemic in European bats. No human case has yet been reported in Western Europe. A 59 year-old patient without specific past medical history died from encephalitis. A colony of bats lived in an outbuilding of his house. No diagnosis was made using standard procedures. Methods We used a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) based transcriptomic protocol to search for pathogens in autopsy samples (meninges and brain frontal lobe). Results were confirmed by PCR and by antibody testing in serum. Immunochemistry was used to characterize inflammatory cells and viral antigens in brain lesions. Cells and mice were inoculated with brain extracts for virus isolation. Results The patient’s brain lesions were severe and diffuse in white and gray matter. Perivascular inflammatory infiltrates were abundant and rich in plasma cells. NGS identified European bat lyssavirus type 1a in brain, which was confirmed by PCR. A high titer of neutralizing antibodies was found in serum. No viral antigen was detected and the virus could not be isolated by cell culture or by mouse inoculation. Conclusions The patient died from European bat lyssavirus type 1a infection. NGS was key to identifying this unexpected viral etiology in an epidemiological context that did not suggest rabies. People exposed to bats should be strongly advised to be vaccinated with rabies vaccines, which are effective against EBLV-1.

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“…Samples were stored at 4 °C for a few hours before undergoing 12,100 g centrifugation for 20 min. Serum and clot pellets were separated and stored at −20 °C until further processed [ 8 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of Toscana Virus and Sandfly Fever Sicilian Virus in European Bat Colonies Measured Using a Neutralization Test

Ayhan

López-Roig

Monastiri

et al. 2021

Viruses

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Toscana phlebovirus (TOSV) and Sicilian phlebovirus (SFSV) are endemic in the Mediterranean area where they are transmitted to humans by infected sandflies. Vertebrates of several species have been postulated to act as reservoirs of these viruses, but convincing evidence is still awaited. Among them, bats have been suggested, however documented evidence is lacking. Here we tested a total of 329 bats belonging to eight species collected from twelve localities in southern Spain for the presence of neutralizing antibodies specific to TOSV and SFSV. Positive sera were detected in Schreiber’s long-fingered bat (Miniopterus schreibersii), mouse-eared Myotis (Myotis myotis), European free-tailed bat (Tadarida teniotis), and common serotine (Eptesicus serotinus) with the latter showing the highest prevalence rates for SFSV (22.6%) and TOSV (10%). There was no difference between females and males. Results suggest that bats are not likely to play a major role in the natural cycle of these two sandfly-borne phleboviruses. However, large breeding colonies of bats can be used as sentinels for surveillance of the presence of such viruses in a given locality. In addition, capture–recapture studies should be initiated in order to understand better the dynamics of TOSV and SFSV in bat populations.

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Active sero-survey for European bat lyssavirus type-1 circulation in North African insectivorous bats

Cited by 8 publications

References 14 publications

Large circulation of a novel vesiculovirus in bats in the Mediterranean region

Large circulation of a novel vesiculovirus in bats in the Mediterranean region

First Case of Lethal Encephalitis in Western Europe Due to European Bat Lyssavirus Type 1

Seroprevalence of Toscana Virus and Sandfly Fever Sicilian Virus in European Bat Colonies Measured Using a Neutralization Test

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