Novel Bat Alphacoronaviruses in Southern China Support Chinese Horseshoe Bats as an Important Reservoir for Potential Novel Coronaviruses.
Viruses. 2019 05 07; 11(5)V

Abstract

While bats are increasingly recognized as a source of coronavirus epidemics, the diversity and emergence potential of bat coronaviruses remains to be fully understood. Among 1779 bat samples collected in China, diverse coronaviruses were detected in 32 samples from five different bat species by RT-PCR. Two novel alphacoronaviruses, Rhinolophus sinicus bat coronavirus HKU32 (Rs-BatCoV HKU32) and Tylonycteris robustula bat coronavirus HKU33 (Tr-BatCoV HKU33), were discovered from Chinese horseshoe bats in Hong Kong and greater bamboo bats in Guizhou Province, respectively. Genome analyses showed that Rs-BatCoV HKU32 is closely related to BatCoV HKU10 and related viruses from diverse bat families, whereas Tr-BatCoV HKU33 is closely related to BtNv-AlphaCoV and similar viruses exclusively from bats of Vespertilionidae family. The close relatedness of Rs-BatCoV HKU32 to BatCoV HKU10 which was also detected in Pomona roundleaf bats from the same country park suggests that these viruses may have the tendency of infecting genetically distant bat populations of close geographical proximity with subsequent genetic divergence. Moreover, the presence of SARSr-CoV ORF7a-like protein in Rs-BatCoV HKU32 suggests a common evolutionary origin of this accessory protein with SARS-CoV, also from Chinese horseshoe bats, an apparent reservoir for coronavirus epidemics. The emergence potential of Rs-BatCoV HKU32 should be explored.

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Lau SKP

Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. skplau@hku.hk. State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. skplau@hku.hk. Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. skplau@hku.hk. Collaborative Innovation Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. skplau@hku.hk.

Wong ACP

Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. antonwcp@connect.hku.hk.

Zhang L

Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, Guangzhou 510000, China. zhanglb@giabr.gd.cn.

Luk HKH

Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. hkhluk@hku.hk.

Kwok JSL

School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. jamie_slk@link.cuhk.edu.hk.

Ahmed SS

Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. shakeel87@gmail.com.

Cai JP

Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. caijuice@hku.hk.

Zhao PSH

Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. pyrear@126.com.

Teng JLL

Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. llteng@hku.hk. State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. llteng@hku.hk. Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. llteng@hku.hk.

Tsui SKW

School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. kwtsui@cuhk.edu.hk.

Yuen KY

Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. kyyuen@hku.hk. State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. kyyuen@hku.hk. Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. kyyuen@hku.hk. Collaborative Innovation Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. kyyuen@hku.hk.

Woo PCY

Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. pcywoo@hku.hk. State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. pcywoo@hku.hk. Carol Yu Centre for Infection, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. pcywoo@hku.hk. Collaborative Innovation Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China. pcywoo@hku.hk.

MeSH

AnimalsChinaChiropteraCoronavirusDisease ReservoirsEvolution, MolecularGenome, ViralOpen Reading FramesPhylogeny

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

31067830

Citation

Lau, Susanna K P., et al. "Novel Bat Alphacoronaviruses in Southern China Support Chinese Horseshoe Bats as an Important Reservoir for Potential Novel Coronaviruses." Viruses, vol. 11, no. 5, 2019.

Lau SKP, Wong ACP, Zhang L, et al. Novel Bat Alphacoronaviruses in Southern China Support Chinese Horseshoe Bats as an Important Reservoir for Potential Novel Coronaviruses. Viruses. 2019;11(5).

Lau, S. K. P., Wong, A. C. P., Zhang, L., Luk, H. K. H., Kwok, J. S. L., Ahmed, S. S., Cai, J. P., Zhao, P. S. H., Teng, J. L. L., Tsui, S. K. W., Yuen, K. Y., & Woo, P. C. Y. (2019). Novel Bat Alphacoronaviruses in Southern China Support Chinese Horseshoe Bats as an Important Reservoir for Potential Novel Coronaviruses. Viruses, 11(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/v11050423

Lau SKP, et al. Novel Bat Alphacoronaviruses in Southern China Support Chinese Horseshoe Bats as an Important Reservoir for Potential Novel Coronaviruses. Viruses. 2019 05 7;11(5) PubMed PMID: 31067830.

* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case

TY - JOUR T1 - Novel Bat Alphacoronaviruses in Southern China Support Chinese Horseshoe Bats as an Important Reservoir for Potential Novel Coronaviruses. AU - Lau,Susanna K P, AU - Wong,Antonio C P, AU - Zhang,Libao, AU - Luk,Hayes K H, AU - Kwok,Jamie S L, AU - Ahmed,Syed S, AU - Cai,Jian-Piao, AU - Zhao,Pyrear S H, AU - Teng,Jade L L, AU - Tsui,Stephen K W, AU - Yuen,Kwok-Yung, AU - Woo,Patrick C Y, Y1 - 2019/05/07/ PY - 2019/04/15/received PY - 2019/05/02/revised PY - 2019/05/06/accepted PY - 2019/5/10/entrez PY - 2019/5/10/pubmed PY - 2020/7/25/medline KW - Alphacoronavirus KW - bat KW - coronavirus KW - discovery KW - epidemics KW - molecular KW - novel KW - species JF - Viruses JO - Viruses VL - 11 IS - 5 N2 - While bats are increasingly recognized as a source of coronavirus epidemics, the diversity and emergence potential of bat coronaviruses remains to be fully understood. Among 1779 bat samples collected in China, diverse coronaviruses were detected in 32 samples from five different bat species by RT-PCR. Two novel alphacoronaviruses, Rhinolophus sinicus bat coronavirus HKU32 (Rs-BatCoV HKU32) and Tylonycteris robustula bat coronavirus HKU33 (Tr-BatCoV HKU33), were discovered from Chinese horseshoe bats in Hong Kong and greater bamboo bats in Guizhou Province, respectively. Genome analyses showed that Rs-BatCoV HKU32 is closely related to BatCoV HKU10 and related viruses from diverse bat families, whereas Tr-BatCoV HKU33 is closely related to BtNv-AlphaCoV and similar viruses exclusively from bats of Vespertilionidae family. The close relatedness of Rs-BatCoV HKU32 to BatCoV HKU10 which was also detected in Pomona roundleaf bats from the same country park suggests that these viruses may have the tendency of infecting genetically distant bat populations of close geographical proximity with subsequent genetic divergence. Moreover, the presence of SARSr-CoV ORF7a-like protein in Rs-BatCoV HKU32 suggests a common evolutionary origin of this accessory protein with SARS-CoV, also from Chinese horseshoe bats, an apparent reservoir for coronavirus epidemics. The emergence potential of Rs-BatCoV HKU32 should be explored. SN - 1999-4915 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/31067830/Novel_Bat_Alphacoronaviruses_in_Southern_China_Support_Chinese_Horseshoe_Bats_as_an_Important_Reservoir_for_Potential_Novel_Coronaviruses_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -

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Novel Bat Alphacoronaviruses in Southern China Support Chinese Horseshoe Bats as an Important Reservoir for Potential Novel Coronaviruses.Viruses. 2019 05 07; 11(5)V