Henipavirus RNA in African bats

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 4; no. 7; p. e6367
• Main Authors: Drexler, Jan Felix, Corman, Victor Max, Gloza-Rausch, Florian, Seebens, Antje, Annan, Augustina, Ipsen, Anne, Kruppa, Thomas, Müller, Marcel A, Kalko, Elisabeth K V, Adu-Sarkodie, Yaw, Oppong, Samuel, Drosten, Christian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 28.07.2009; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animals; Bats; Bats (Animals); Chiroptera; Chiroptera - virology; Collaboration; Disease Reservoirs; Ebola virus; Ebolavirus; Ecology/Ecosystem Ecology; Ecology/Environmental Microbiology; Eidolon helvum; Encephalitis; Feces; Fruits; Fruits (Food); Gene sequencing; Genomes; Henipavirus; Henipavirus - genetics; Hepatitis; Infections; Infectious diseases; Infectious Diseases/Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases; Infectious Diseases/Viral Infections; Medicine; Mitochondrial DNA; Nipah virus; Phylogeny; Pteropus; Pteropus giganteus; Pteropus poliocephalus; Pteropus scapulatus; Range extension; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA viruses; RNA, Viral - genetics; Straw; Virology; Virology/Emerging Viral Diseases; Virology/Virus Evolution and Symbiosis; Viruses; Malaysia; Australia; Germany; India
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006367

Henipaviruses (Hendra and Nipah virus) are highly pathogenic members of the family Paramyxoviridae. Fruit-eating bats of the Pteropus genus have been suggested as their natural reservoir. Human Henipavirus infections have been reported in a region extending from Australia via Malaysia into Bangladesh, compatible with the geographic range of Pteropus. These bats do not occur in continental Africa, but a whole range of other fruit bats is encountered. One of the most abundant is Eidolon helvum, the African Straw-coloured fruit bat. Feces from E. helvum roosting in an urban setting in Kumasi/Ghana were tested for Henipavirus RNA. Sequences of three novel viruses in phylogenetic relationship to known Henipaviruses were detected. Virus RNA concentrations in feces were low. The finding of novel putative Henipaviruses outside Australia and Asia contributes a significant extension of the region of potential endemicity of one of the most pathogenic virus genera known in humans.