Novel, Potentially Zoonotic Paramyxoviruses from the African Straw-Colored Fruit Bat Eidolon helvum

Abstract

Bats carry a variety of paramyxoviruses that impact human and domestic animal health when spillover occurs. Recent studies have shown a great diversity of paramyxoviruses in an urban-roosting population of straw-colored fruit bats in Ghana. Here, we investigate this further through virus isolation and describe two novel rubulaviruses: Achimota virus 1 (AchPV1) and Achimota virus 2 (AchPV2). The viruses form a phylogenetic cluster with each other and other bat-derived rubulaviruses, such as Tuhoko viruses, Menangle virus, and Tioman virus. We developed AchPV1-and AchPV2-specific serological assays and found evidence of infection with both viruses in Eidolon helvum across sub-Saharan Africa and on islands in the Gulf of Guinea. Longitudinal sampling of E. helvum indicates virus persistence within fruit bat populations and suggests spread of AchPVs via horizontal transmission. We also detected possible serological evidence of human infection with AchPV2 in Ghana and Tanzania. It is likely that clinically significant zoonotic spillover of chiropteran paramyxoviruses could be missed throughout much of Africa where health surveillance and diagnostics are poor and comorbidities, such as infection with HIV or Plasmodium sp., are common.

Isolation of multiple novel paramyxoviruses from pteropid bat urine

“…Although the causative relationship was not conclusively established from this single human infection, it is quite possible that Sosuga virus and many other bat rubulaviruses have the potential to cause zoonotic human infections in many parts of the world. This is further demonstrated by the isolation of another bat rubulavirus, Achimota virus, from African bats (Eidolon helvum) and serological indication of human infection in our previous published study (Baker et al, 2013b). Finally, it is interesting to note that our high success rate of virus isolation from the 2011 samples correlates with the unprecedented number of HeV spillover events that occurred in 2011.…”

“…As more zoonotic viruses are linked to bats, identifying novel agents harboured by bats has become increasingly important (Baker et al, 2012(Baker et al, , 2013bLau et al, 2010;Wang et al, 2011). Detection of viral nucleic acid by PCR to identify viruses in bats represents the most common method employed in published studies.…”

A Recently Discovered Pathogenic Paramyxovirus, Sosuga Virus, is Present in Rousettus aegyptiacus Fruit Bats at Multiple Locations in Uganda

“…Initial diagnostic tests for known African viral hemorrhagic fevers were negative, including those caused by Ebola viruses, Marburg viruses, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, and Lassa virus. Using deep sequencing and metagenomic analysis, the etiologic agent was found to be a novel paramyxovirus most closely related to rubula-like viruses found in several species of Asian and African fruit bats (Leschenault’s rousette, Rousettus leschesnaulti ; variable flying fox, Pteropus hypomelanus ; and the straw-colored fruit bat, Eidolon helvum ; Chua et al 2002; Lau et al 2010; Drexler et al 2012; Baker et al 2013; Albariño et al 2014). …”

Nipah Virus Matrix Protein Influences Fusogenicity and Is Essential for Particle Infectivity and Stability

“…It causes sporadic outbreaks of deadly encephalitic disease in humans in Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Bangladesh (1,2). Cross-reactive antibodies against NiV and other related henipaviruses have been detected in bats and pigs as far afield as Africa and other parts of Southeast Asia, indicating that these viruses circulate quite widely (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10).…”