Metagenomic analysis of fecal and tissue samples from 18 endemic bat species in Switzerland revealed a diverse virus composition including potentially zoonotic viruses

PLoS One. 2021 Jun 16;16(6):e0252534. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252534. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Many recent disease outbreaks in humans had a zoonotic virus etiology. Bats in particular have been recognized as reservoirs to a large variety of viruses with the potential to cross-species transmission. In order to assess the risk of bats in Switzerland for such transmissions, we determined the virome of tissue and fecal samples of 14 native and 4 migrating bat species. In total, sequences belonging to 39 different virus families, 16 of which are known to infect vertebrates, were detected. Contigs of coronaviruses, adenoviruses, hepeviruses, rotaviruses A and H, and parvoviruses with potential zoonotic risk were characterized in more detail. Most interestingly, in a ground stool sample of a Vespertilio murinus colony an almost complete genome of a Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was detected by Next generation sequencing and confirmed by PCR. In conclusion, bats in Switzerland naturally harbour many different viruses. Metagenomic analyses of non-invasive samples like ground stool may support effective surveillance and early detection of viral zoonoses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenoviridae / classification
  • Adenoviridae / genetics
  • Animals
  • Chiroptera / classification
  • Chiroptera / virology*
  • Disease Reservoirs / virology
  • Feces / virology*
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genome, Viral / genetics
  • Hepevirus / classification
  • Hepevirus / genetics
  • Humans
  • Metagenomics / methods*
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus / classification
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus / genetics
  • Phylogeny
  • Rotavirus / classification
  • Rotavirus / genetics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA / methods
  • Switzerland
  • Virome / genetics*
  • Viruses / classification
  • Viruses / genetics*
  • Zoonoses / virology*

Grants and funding

C.F. was supported by the Foundation for Research in Science and the Humanities at the University of Zurich (Grant number STWF-19-013)(https://www.research.uzh.ch/en/funding/researchers/stwf.html). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.