Paramyxovirus circulation in bat species from French Guiana

• Published in: Infection, genetics and evolution genetics and evolution, 2021-06, Vol.90, p.104769-104769, Article 104769
• Main Authors: Darcissac, Edith, Donato, Damien, de Thoisy, Benoît, Lacoste, Vincent, Lavergne, Anne
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Bats; Biodiversity; Chiroptera; Cross-species transmission; French Guiana; French Guiana - epidemiology; Life Sciences; Microbiology and Parasitology; Paramyxoviridae - physiology; Paramyxoviridae Infections - epidemiology; Paramyxoviridae Infections - veterinary; Paramyxoviridae Infections - virology; Paramyxoviruses; Phylogenetic relationships; Populations and Evolution; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Systematics, Phylogenetics and taxonomy; Virology
• ISSN: 1567-1348; 1567-7257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104769

Bats are recognized as reservoirs of numerous viruses. Among them, paramyxoviruses, for example, Hendra and Nipah viruses, are highly pathogenic to humans. Nothing is known regarding the circulation of this viral family in bats from French Guiana. To search for the presence of paramyxoviruses in this territory, 103 bats of seven different species were sampled and screened using a molecular approach. Four distinct paramyxovirus sequences were detected from three bat species (Desmodus rotundus, Carollia perspicillata, and Pteronotus alitonus) at high prevalence rates. In D. rotundus, two types of paramyxovirus co-circulate, with most of the bats co-infected. The phylogenetic analysis of these sequences revealed that three of them were closely related to previously characterized sequences from D. rotundus, C. perspicillata, and P. parnellii from Brazil and Costa Rica. The fourth sequence, identified in D. rotundus, was closely related to the one detected in P. alitonus in French Guiana and to previously described sequences detected in P. parnellii in Costa Rica. All paramyxovirus sequences detected in this study are close to the Jeilongvirus genus. Altogether, our results and those of previous studies indicate a wide geographical distribution of these paramyxoviruses (from Central to South America) and suggest potential cross-species transmissions of paramyxoviruses between two different bat families: Mormoopidae (P. alitonus) and Phyllostomidae (D. rotundus). In addition, their closeness to paramyxoviruses identified in rodents emphasizes the need to investigate the role of these animals as potential reservoirs or incidental hosts. Finally, the high prevalence rates of some paramyxoviruses in certain bat species, associated with the presence of large bat colonies and, in some cases, their potential proximity with humans are all parameters that can contribute to the risk of cross-species transmission between bat species and to the emergence of new paramyxoviruses in humans, a risk that deserves further investigation. •High circulation of paramyxoviruses in bats from French Guiana•Paramyxovirus sequences in French Guiana are close to Jeilongvirus and Shaanvirus.•Two paramyxovirus lineages co-circulate in D. rotundus with numerous co-infections.•A novel paramyxovirus sequence in D. rotundus related to Pteronotus species was identified.