Two Novel Parvoviruses in Frugivorous New and Old World Bats

Canuti, Marta; Eis-Huebinger, Anna Maria; Deijs, Martin; de Vries, Michel; Drexler, Jan Felix; Oppong, Samuel K.; Müller, Marcel A.; Klose, Stefan M.; Wellinghausen, Nele; Cottontail, Veronika M.; Kalko, Elisabeth K. V.; Drosten, Christian; van der Hoek, Lia

The second virus identified in this study, Aj-BtPV-1, was initially found in Artibeus jamaicensis bats from Panama. Aj-BtPV-1 was circulating in the respective A. jamaicensis population at a rate of 7.6% and, based on phylogenetic analysis, it clearly appears that at least three different lineages are currently circulating in this bat species. Interestingly, Aj-BtPV-1 was also found in blood collected from a bat belonging to the closely related species A. lituratus. Although the number of analyzed A. lituratus bat is low (18) , the prevalence of viraemia (5.5%) was close to that detected in Artibeus jamaicensis bats. Aj-BtPV-1 is the first member of a potential new genus within the Parvovirinae subfamily, although its existence needs first to be accepted by the advisory board of the ICTV. Still, its discovery could open new research paths aiming to search for similar viruses in other mammals including humans. The presence of high viral variability may also increase the chance that further mutations could favor a viral transmission to other species. Artibeus jamaicensis, a bat from the endemic family of New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) that only occurs in Central and South America, forages mainly on fruit and occasionally nectar, pollen and leaves [49, 50] . It regularly covers several kilometers in search of suitable food resources, thereby crossing barriers such as open water [50, 51] . This foraging behavior can bring animals in contact with humans and other animals, i.e., livestock, especially when agricultural farming areas are used as foraging grounds [39] .