Identification of Viruses in <i>Molossus</i> Bats from the Brazilian Amazon: A Descriptive Metagenomic Analysis

Bats are widely distributed in Brazil, including the Amazon region, and their association with viral pathogens is well-known. This work aimed to evaluate the metavirome in samples of <i>Molossus</i> sp. bats captured in the Brazilian Amazon from 2019 to 2021. Lung samples from 58 bats we...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lucas Rafael Santana Pinheiro, Érika Dayane Leal Rodrigues, Francisco Amilton dos Santos Paiva, Ana Cecília Ribeiro Cruz, Daniele Barbosa de Almeida Medeiros, Alexandre do Rosário Casseb, Sandro Patroca da Silva, Livia Medeiros Neves Casseb
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-03-01
Series:Microorganisms
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/3/593
Description
Summary:Bats are widely distributed in Brazil, including the Amazon region, and their association with viral pathogens is well-known. This work aimed to evaluate the metavirome in samples of <i>Molossus</i> sp. bats captured in the Brazilian Amazon from 2019 to 2021. Lung samples from 58 bats were divided into 13 pools for RNA isolation and sequencing followed by bioinformatic analysis. The <i>Retroviridae</i> family showed the highest abundance of viral reads. Although no complete genome could be recovered, the <i>Paramyxoviridae</i> and <i>Dicistroviridae</i> families showed the formation of contigs with satisfactory identity and size characteristics for further analysis. One contig of the <i>Paramyxoviridae</i> family was characterized as belonging to the genus <i>Morbillivirus</i>, being grouped most closely phylogenetically to <i>Porcine morbillivirus</i>. The contig related to the <i>Dicistroviridae</i> family was identified within the <i>Cripavirus</i> genus, with 94%, 91%, and 42% amino acid identity with <i>Culex dicistrovirus</i> 2, <i>Rhopalosiphum padi</i>, and <i>Aphid lethal paralysis</i>, respectively. The presence of viruses in bats needs constant updating since the study was able to identify viral sequences related to families or genera still poorly described in the literature in association with bats.
ISSN:2076-2607