Discovery of a coronavirus in the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) belonging to a putative new genus

Abstract

In the aftermath of COVID-19, coronaviruses gained renewed attention by the scientific community. The study reports the identification and genetic characterization of a novel coronavirus in the European badger (Meles meles) obtained in the framework of passive surveillance implemented in Italian wildlife in response to the pandemic. Positive samples were characterized using next generation sequencing as well as genetic and phylogenetic analyses, aiming for taxonomic placement under ICTV guidelines of the viruses contained in each sample. Results obtained for six conserved domains within the polyprotein showed that the virus clustered as outgroup and shared <46% amino acid identity with other coronaviruses, supporting the assumption that it belongs to a new putative genus Epsiloncoronavirus. This finding highlights that mammals still hide diverse coronaviruses whose zoonotic and epizootic potential remains unknown.

Keywords: Coronavirus; Eurasian badger; Mustelids; Viruses; Wildlife; Zoonoses.