Novel hepatoviruses in synanthropic bats in the upper Midwestern United States

Arch Virol. 2022 Dec;167(12):2749-2751. doi: 10.1007/s00705-022-05610-8. Epub 2022 Sep 22.

Abstract

A nearly complete genome sequence of hepatovirus G was isolated from an Eptesicus fuscus bat submitted for rabies virus testing due to human exposure in South Dakota. The predicted polyprotein sequence was 78.2% and 74.4% identical to genotypes G1 and G2, respectively, recovered from bats in Ghana. Quantitative PCR on 90 E. fuscus bats showed that eight (8.9%) were positive for hepatovirus G. Targeted sequencing of the VP2 region of the genome for five positive samples showed >99% identity to hepatovirus G strain Ef15893, demonstrating that hepatovirus G commonly circulates in E. fuscus bats in the upper Midwest.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chiroptera*
  • Hepatovirus
  • Humans
  • Midwestern United States / epidemiology
  • Rabies virus*
  • Rabies*