CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS IN BATS

MARIE-PIERRE RYSER-DEGIORGIS

Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health, Institute of Animal Pathology, Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiol- ogy, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

Bats harbour an enormous diversity of coronaviruses (CoVs) worldwide, including more than 100 viruses belonging either to the Alphaviruses or to the Betacorona­viruses, and they are suspected to be the reservoir hosts from which all CoV lineages originated.

CoVs of several different genotypes can co-exist in a single bat, and recombination between different bat CoVs could give rise to new CoV genomes, which is believed to have occurred with the SARS CoV. This, together with the great diversity of CoVs, their ability to persist in bat popu­lations and the finding that some CoVs can apparently infect bats of divergent genera, suggests that ongoing evo­lution of CoVs in bats may pose a continuing threat for emergence of novel CoVs in new hosts^[26].

Studies on CoVs in bat populations suggest a peak of infections in spring, prevalence variations from year to year, and higher prevalence in juveniles and lactating mothers. Young bats are possibly more susceptible to infec­tion and may propagate and maintain the viruses within bat colonies⁽³⁰⁾.

Although CoVs persist within bat populations, indi­vidual bats seem to experience only self-limited infections without apparent illness. Coronaviruses are detected in faecal samples by RT-PCR, followed by sequencing of amplicons and phylogenetic analysis.

CoVs may be particularly significant among potential zoonotic viruses because of their potential to be transmit­ted via respiratory or faecal-oral routes, resulting in a proven ability to cause major epidemics after host transition.

OTHER CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS leucas) and Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) also belong to this group(³5). IBV causes an acute respiratory disease in chickens of all ages and diminishes egg produc­tion in hens, resulting in severe economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. A number of strains are neph- ropathogenic and lead to high mortality. TCoV and PhCoV cause a similar disease in turkeys and pheasants, respectively. A CoV was identified in pigeons exhibiting respiratory symptoms, but its causal role was uncertain¹-³⁶). IBV-like viruses and new CoVs have been found in dis­eased and apparently healthy individuals of several wild bird species in Europe and elsewhere¹-³⁵’³⁷’³⁸). A new genus, Deltacoronavirus, has been proposed to include three new coronavirus species detected in Passeriformes¹-²).

CoV infection is most commonly demonstrated by RT-PCR on faecal samples or by serology, but other diag­nostic techniques have also been developed. Recent research on coronaviruses in mammals and birds indicates that the geographic distribution, host range and genetic diversity of CoVs are much greater than previously thought, and it is of concern that viruses present in wildlife may have the potential to emerge as human or animal health threats.

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