A metagenomic viral discovery approach identifies potential zoonotic and novel mammalian viruses in Neoromicia bats within South Africa

PLoS One. 2018 Mar 26;13(3):e0194527. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194527. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Species within the Neoromicia bat genus are abundant and widely distributed in Africa. It is common for these insectivorous bats to roost in anthropogenic structures in urban regions. Additionally, Neoromicia capensis have previously been identified as potential hosts for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-related coronaviruses. This study aimed to ascertain the gastrointestinal virome of these bats, as viruses excreted in fecal material or which may be replicating in rectal or intestinal tissues have the greatest opportunities of coming into contact with other hosts. Samples were collected in five regions of South Africa over eight years. Initial virome composition was determined by viral metagenomic sequencing by pooling samples and enriching for viral particles. Libraries were sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq and NextSeq500 platforms, producing a combined 37 million reads. Bioinformatics analysis of the high throughput sequencing data detected the full genome of a novel species of the Circoviridae family, and also identified sequence data from the Adenoviridae, Coronaviridae, Herpesviridae, Parvoviridae, Papillomaviridae, Phenuiviridae, and Picornaviridae families. Metagenomic sequencing data was insufficient to determine the viral diversity of certain families due to the fragmented coverage of genomes and lack of suitable sequencing depth, as some viruses were detected from the analysis of reads-data only. Follow up conventional PCR assays targeting conserved gene regions for the Adenoviridae, Coronaviridae, and Herpesviridae families were used to confirm metagenomic data and generate additional sequences to determine genetic diversity. The complete coding genome of a MERS-related coronavirus was recovered with additional amplicon sequencing on the MiSeq platform. The new genome shared 97.2% overall nucleotide identity to a previous Neoromicia-associated MERS-related virus, also from South Africa. Conventional PCR analysis detected diverse adenovirus and herpesvirus sequences that were widespread throughout Neoromicia populations in South Africa. Furthermore, similar adenovirus sequences were detected within these populations throughout several years. With the exception of the coronaviruses, the study represents the first report of sequence data from several viral families within a Southern African insectivorous bat genus; highlighting the need for continued investigations in this regard.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenoviridae / genetics
  • Adenoviridae / pathogenicity
  • Animals
  • Chiroptera / physiology
  • Chiroptera / virology*
  • Computational Biology
  • Coronavirus / genetics
  • Coronavirus / pathogenicity
  • Coronavirus Infections / veterinary
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology*
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / physiology
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / virology
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genome, Viral / genetics*
  • Herpesviridae / genetics
  • Herpesviridae / pathogenicity
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Humans
  • Mammals / virology*
  • Metagenomics / methods
  • Phylogeny
  • Phylogeography
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • South Africa
  • Zoonoses / virology*

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported in part by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa: the South African Research Chair held by WM grant no. 98339, as well as grant numbers 92524, 85756, and 91496. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed are those of the authors alone, and the NRF accepts no liability in this regard for research supported. Additional support was obtained by WM from the Poliomyelitis Research Foundation (grant number: 12/14). The Research Trust of the National Health Laboratory Service and the Medical Research Council was awarded to JW. This research was partially supported by the Grant or Cooperative Agreement Number [5 NU2GGH001874-02-00], funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services. MG was supported by funding from the NRF’s Innovation bursary award (grant UID: 79409), the Poliomyelitis Research Foundation (grant no. 13/48), and the postgraduate study abroad bursary program of the University of Pretoria, which funded a research visit to the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.