Global patterns in coronavirus diversity

Anthony, Simon J.; Johnson, Christine K.; Greig, Denise J.; Kramer, Sarah; Che, Xiaoyu; Wells, Heather; Hicks, Allison L.; Joly, Damien O.; Wolfe, Nathan D.; Daszak, Peter; Karesh, William; Lipkin, W. I.; Morse, Stephen S.; Mazet, Jonna A. K.; Goldstein, Tracey

Bats (n ¼ 12,333), rodents (n ¼ 3,387), and non-human primates (n ¼ 3,470) were humanely sampled (capture and release) from twenty 'hotspot' countries (Jones et al. 2008) , representing central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda), Latin America (Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico) , and Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, Viet Nam) . Samples were also collected from humans (n ¼ 1,124) in seven countries in central Africa and Asia as a pilot to begin to explore the propensity for viral sharing with wildlife. In all twenty countries, wildlife samples were collected from 'high risk' interfaces, where direct or indirect contact with humans might promote zoonotic viral transmission. The selected sampling sites included areas of land-use change (deforestation, conversion to agriculture); sites in and around human dwellings; foci of ecotourism; markets restaurants and farms along the animal value chain; and areas where occupational exposure was likely (animal sanctuaries, agricultural activities). When possible, individuals were identified to lowest taxonomic order (genus and species) and assigned to an age class (adult, subadult, neonate) by the field teams. All samples from swabs (e.g. oral, urine, rectal), fluids (e.g. saliva), and tissues were collected into (1) NucliSens V R Lysis Buffer (bioMé rieux, Inc., Marcy-I' Etoile, France) and (2) viral transport media, and then frozen in the field in liquid nitrogen and transferred to the laboratory for storage at À80 C. All animal sampling activities were conducted with permissions from local authorities and under the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of California, Davis (protocol number: 16048). All human activities were reviewed and approved by the UC Davis Institutional Review Board (IRB), under protocols: 215253 and 432330.