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Dafalla M, Orłowska A, Keleş SJ, Straková P, Schlottau K, Jeske K, Hoffmann B, Wibbelt G, Smreczak M, Müller T, Freuling CM, Wang X, Rola J, Drewes S, Fereidouni S, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Hantavirus Brno loanvirus is highly specific to the common noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula) and widespread in Central Europe. Virus Genes 2023; 59:323-332. [PMID: 36542315 PMCID: PMC10025241 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-022-01952-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Bat-associated hantaviruses have been detected in Asia, Africa and Europe. Recently, a novel hantavirus (Brno loanvirus, BRNV) was identified in common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) in the Czech Republic, but nothing is known about its geographical range and prevalence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the distribution and host specificity of BRNV by testing bats from neighbouring countries Germany, Austria and Poland. One thousand forty-seven bats representing 21 species from Germany, 464 bats representing 18 species from Austria and 77 bats representing 12 species from Poland were screened by L segment broad-spectrum nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or by BRNV-specific real-time RT-PCR. Three common noctules from Germany, one common noctule from Austria and three common noctules from Poland were positive in the hantavirus RNA screening. Conventional RT-PCR and primer walking resulted in the amplification of partial L segment and (almost) complete S and M segment coding sequences for samples from Germany and partial L segment sequences for samples from Poland. Phylogenetic analysis of these nucleotide sequences showed highest similarity to BRNV from Czech Republic. The exclusive detection of BRNV in common noctules from different countries suggests high host specificity. The RNA detection rate in common noctules ranged between 1 of 207 (0.5%; Austria), 3 of 245 (1.2%; Germany) and 3 of 20 (15%; Poland). In conclusion, this study demonstrates a broader distribution of BRNV in common noctules in Central Europe, but at low to moderate prevalence. Additional studies are needed to prove the zoonotic potential of this hantavirus and evaluate its transmission within bat populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maysaa Dafalla
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Anna Orłowska
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 57 Partyzantów Avenue, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Sinan Julian Keleş
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Petra Straková
- Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 296/70, 621 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kore Schlottau
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Kathrin Jeske
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Bernd Hoffmann
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Gudrun Wibbelt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcin Smreczak
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 57 Partyzantów Avenue, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Thomas Müller
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Conrad Martin Freuling
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Xuejing Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jerzy Rola
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 57 Partyzantów Avenue, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Stephan Drewes
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Sasan Fereidouni
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
- Quartier Sorge - Batiment Amphipole, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
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