Experimental infection of neotropical bats with Hantavirus

• Grant number: 18/50016-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2018
• End date: May 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Agreement: Texas Tech University
• Mobility Program: SPRINT - Projetos de pesquisa - Mobilidade
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo
• Grantee: Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo
• Principal researcher abroad: Jorge Salazar-Bravo
• Institution abroad: Texas Tech University (TTU), United States
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/02438-6 - Studies with Bunyaviridae that produce human disease, AP.TEM

Abstract

Until 2012 there was only one report of hantavirus in bats, in which have described an isolation of a pathogenic hantavirus: Hantaan virus (HTNV) in lung tissues of bats. After this unique fact, all hantaviruses reported in bats were not related with human disease, however, there were evidences of a lethal genotype of Andes virus, the Araraquara virus (ARQV) among Neotropical bats in Brazil. Therefore, it is proposed here to study, experimentally, the infection and its kinetics, the immune-pathogenesis infection process in Neotropical bats. This research will be divided in (I) maintenance of Neotropical bats such as Carollia perspicillata and Desmodus rotundus; (II) experimental infection of theses bats with hantavirus in our BSL-3 facility, (III) evaluate the kinetics of infection and immune-pathogenesis; (IV) isolation and deep sequencing hantaviruses in excreta and organ tissues; (V) study the evolution and phylogeny of theses hantaviruses in comparison of those in wild rodents and others bats hantaviruses. Thus, we intend to understand the dynamics of infections in nature and if Neotropical bats are disseminating these lethal viruses. (AU)