Hantaviruses are RNA viruses primarily carried by rodents, soricomorphs, and bats. The data about the distribution and genetic diversity of these viruses are often limited, especially in most regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, the majority of representatives were identified in western African localities, while only three hantaviruses have been reported in East Africa to date. In this study, a total of 1866 small mammals captured between 2009 and 2014 in various countries of Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania) were molecularly screened for the presence of hantaviruses. Hantavirus RNA was detected in dried blood samples of the Cape pipistrelle bat (Neoromicia capensis) captured in Ethiopia and the African wood mouse (Hylomyscus endorobae) from Kenya. Phylogenetic analysis of partial genomic segments revealed that the Ethiopian sample represents a sister lineage of the Mouyassué virus (reported previously from the congeneric bat in Côte d'Ivoire), and the Kenyan sample is a sister lineage of the Sangassou virus (described from the same mouse genus in Guinea).
Keywords: East Africa; bats; hantavirus; phylogeny; rodents.