Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.03.036
Title (Primary) Phylogenetic analysis of a newfound bat-borne hantavirus supports a laurasiatherian host association for ancestral mammalian hantaviruses
Author Witkowski, P.T.; Drexler, J.F.; Kallies, R.; Ličková, M.; Bokorová, S.; Mananga, G.D.; Szemes, T.; Leroy, E.M.; Krüger, D.H.; Drosten, C.; Klempa, B.
Source Titel Infection, Genetics and Evolution
Year 2016
Department UMB
Volume 41
Page From 113
Page To 119
Language englisch
Keywords Africa; Bat; Hantavirus; Laurasiatheria; Makokou virus; Zoonosis
UFZ wide themes RU1;
Abstract Until recently, hantaviruses (family Bunyaviridae) were believed to originate from rodent reservoirs. However, genetically distinct hantaviruses were lately found in shrews and moles, as well as in bats from Africa and Asia. Bats (order Chiroptera) are considered important reservoir hosts for emerging human pathogens. Here, we report on the identification of a novel hantavirus, provisionally named Makokou virus (MAKV), in Noack's Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros ruber) in Gabon, Central Africa. Phylogenetic analysis of the genomic l-segment showed that MAKV was the most closely related to other bat-borne hantaviruses and shared a most recent common ancestor with the Asian hantaviruses Xuan Son and Laibin. Breakdown of the virus load in a bat animal showed that MAKV resembles rodent-borne hantaviruses in its organ distribution in that it predominantly occurred in the spleen and kidney; this provides a first insight into the infection pattern of bat-borne hantaviruses. Ancestral state reconstruction based on a tree of l gene sequences of all relevant hantavirus lineages was combined with phylogenetic fossil host hypothesis testing, leading to a statistically significant rejection of the mammalian superorder Euarchontoglires (including rodents) but not the superorder Laurasiatheria (including shrews, moles, and bats) as potential hosts of ancestral hantaviruses at most basal tree nodes. Our data supports the emerging concept of bats as previously overlooked hantavirus reservoir hosts.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=17502
Witkowski, P.T., Drexler, J.F., Kallies, R., Ličková, M., Bokorová, S., Mananga, G.D., Szemes, T., Leroy, E.M., Krüger, D.H., Drosten, C., Klempa, B. (2016):
Phylogenetic analysis of a newfound bat-borne hantavirus supports a laurasiatherian host association for ancestral mammalian hantaviruses
Infect. Genet. Evol. 41 , 113 - 119 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.03.036