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Journal of Virology, September 2008, p. 9107-9114, Vol. 82, No. 18
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.00857-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Novel Astroviruses in Insectivorous Bats{triangledown}

D. K. W. Chu,1 L. L. M. Poon,1* Y. Guan,1 and J. S. M. Peiris1,2*

State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China,1 HKU-Pasteur Research Centre, Hong Kong SAR, China2

Received 23 April 2008/ Accepted 3 June 2008

Bats are increasingly recognized to harbor a wide range of viruses, and in most instances these viruses appear to establish long-term persistence in these animals. They are the reservoir of a number of human zoonotic diseases including Nipah, Ebola, and severe acute respiratory syndrome. We report the identification of novel groups of astroviruses in apparently healthy insectivorous bats found in Hong Kong, in particular, bats belonging to the genera Miniopterus and Myotis. Astroviruses are important causes of diarrhea in many animal species, including humans. Many of the bat astroviruses form distinct phylogenetic clusters in the genus Mamastrovirus within the family Astroviridae. Virus detection rates of 36% to 100% and 50% to 70% were found in Miniopterus magnater and Miniopterus pusillus bats, respectively, captured within a single bat habitat during four consecutive visits spanning 1 year. There was high genetic diversity of viruses in bats found within this single habitat. Some bat astroviruses may be phylogenetically related to human astroviruses, and further studies with a wider range of bat species in different geographic locations are warranted. These findings are likely to provide new insights into the ecology and evolution of astroviruses and reinforce the role of bats as a reservoir of viruses with potential to pose a zoonotic threat to human health.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, University Pathology Building, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR. Phone for L. L. M. Poon: 852 2819 9943. Fax: 852 2855 1241. E-mail: llmpoon{at}hkucc.hku.hk. Phone for J. S. M. Peiris: 852 2855 4888. Fax: 852 2855 1241. E-mail: malik{at}hkucc.hku.hk

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 11 June 2008.

Journal of Virology, September 2008, p. 9107-9114, Vol. 82, No. 18
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.00857-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Fu, Y., Pan, M., Wang, X., Xu, Y., Xie, X., Knowles, N. J., Yang, H., Zhang, D. (2009). Complete sequence of a duck astrovirus associated with fatal hepatitis in ducklings. J. Gen. Virol. 90: 1104-1108 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zhu, H. C., Chu, D. K. W., Liu, W., Dong, B. Q., Zhang, S. Y., Zhang, J. X., Li, L. F., Vijaykrishna, D., Smith, G. J. D., Chen, H. L., Poon, L. L. M., Peiris, J. S. M., Guan, Y. (2009). Detection of diverse astroviruses from bats in China. J. Gen. Virol. 90: 883-887 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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