Alphacoronaviruses Are Common in Bats in the Upper Midwestern United States

Abstract

Bats are a reservoir for coronaviruses (CoVs) that periodically spill over to humans, as evidenced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2. A collection of 174 bat samples originating from South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska submitted for rabies virus testing due to human exposure were analyzed using a pan-coronavirus PCR. A previously partially characterized CoV, Eptesicus bat CoV, was identified in 12 (6.9%) samples by nested RT-PCR. Six near-complete genomes were determined. Genetic analysis found a high similarity between all CoV-positive samples, Rocky Mountain bat CoV 65 and alphacoronavirus HCQD-2020 recently identified in South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis of genome sequences showed EbCoV is closely related to bat CoV HKU2 and swine acute diarrhea syndrome CoV; however, topological incongruences were noted for the spike gene that was more closely related to porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Similar to some alphaCoVs, a novel gene, ORF7, was discovered downstream of the nucleocapsid, whose protein lacked similarity to known proteins. The widespread circulation of EbCoV with similarities to bat viruses that have spilled over to swine warrants further surveillance.

Identification and characterization of novel alphacoronaviruses in Tadarida brasiliensis (Chiroptera, Molossidae) from Argentina: insights into recombination as a mechanism favoring bat coronavirus cross-species transmission

“…In contrast, none of the novel viruses were closely related to the AlphaCoV identified in a molossid bat from China ( 5 ), suggesting that coronavirus circulation might probably be related to geographical distribution and virus-host co-divergence, as reported previously ( 27 , 48 ). Indeed, it has been proposed that E. fuscus (U.S.) and E. serotinus (South Korea) may be conspecific ( 49 ), implying a single Eptesicus AlphaCoV species ( 10 ). Interestingly, isolate Tb1 is also highly similar to Eptesicus AlphaCoV sequences, suggesting a possible host jump event between both bat species.…”

“…In contrast, so far, less research has been conducted in the Americas because only a total of 340 coronaviral sequences, mostly of the genus AlphaCoV, from 39 species of bats from this geographical region belonging to four families (Molossidae, Mormoopidae, Phyllostomidae, and Vespertilionidae), have been identified (ZOVER, http://www.mgc.ac.cn/cgi-bin/ZOVER/mainTable.cgi?db=bat , accessed on 27 March 2023). Among these, only seven AlphaCoV complete genomes have been characterized in species of bats of the family Vespertilionidae in North America (the U.S.) ( 9 , 10 ) and in vampire bats (family Phyllostomidae) in South America (Peru) ( 11 ). On the other hand, Molossidae (P. Gervais, 1856) is a cosmopolitan family of bats, widely distributed throughout the world, and often found in tropical and subtropical regions.…”

HDAC-Specific Inhibitors Induce the Release of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus via the COPII-Coated Vesicles

“…The Coronaviridae family includes two subfamilies: Coronavirinae and Torovirinae . The Coronavirinae subfamily is further classified into four genera, the alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-coronaviruses, based on genotypic and serological characterizations [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The notorious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) represent beta-coronaviruses [ 4 ].…”