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Genomic characterization of a novel Hepatovirus identified in Maranhão state, Brazil
Bats are efficient reservoirs of a number of viruses with zoonotic potential, and are involved directly in the transmission cycle of many zoonoses. In the present study, which is part of a larger project that is documenting the viromes of the bat species found in the Mid-North states of Maranhão and...
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Published in: | Scientific reports 2024-04, Vol.14 (1), p.7981-7981, Article 7981 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Bats are efficient reservoirs of a number of viruses with zoonotic potential, and are involved directly in the transmission cycle of many zoonoses. In the present study, which is part of a larger project that is documenting the viromes of the bat species found in the Mid-North states of Maranhão and Piauí, we analyzed 16 pooled samples obtained from four species of bat of the genus
Artibeus—Artibeus obscurus, Artibeus cinereus, Artibeus lituratus
and
Artibeus planirostris
. We describe and identify a
Hepatoviru
s, denominated
Hepatovirus H
isolate
sotense
, which was found in a pool of internal organs (liver and lungs) extracted from a specimen of
A. planirostris
, a frugivorous bat, collected in the Cerrado biome of Maranhão state. This material was analyzed using new generation sequencing, which produced a contig of 7390 nucleotides and presented a degree of identity with a number of existing
Hepatovirus
sequences available for bats (amino acid identity of 61.5% with Bat
hepatovirus
C of
Miniopterus
cf.
manavi
, 66.6% with Bat
hepatovirus
G of
Coleura afra
, 67.4% with
Hepatovirus G2
of
Rhinolophus landeri
, and 75.3% with
Hepatovirus H2
of
Rhinolophus landeri
). The analysis of the functional domains of this contig confirmed a pattern consistent with the characteristics of the genus
Hepatovirus
(
Picornaviridae
). In the phylogenetic tree with several other
Hepatovirus
species, this genome also grouped in a monophyletic clade with
Hepatovirus H
(HepV-H1; HepV-H2, and HepV-H3) albeit on an external branch, which suggests that it may be a distinct genotype within this species. This is the first isolate of
Hepatovirus H
identified in bats from South America, and represents an important discovery, given that most studies of viruses associated with bats in the state of Maranhão have focused on the family
Rhabdoviridae. |
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ISSN: | 2045-2322 2045-2322 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-024-58171-y |