No molecular evidence for influenza A virus and coronavirus in bats belonging to the families Phyllostomidae, Vespertilionidae, and Molossidae in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil

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Violet-Lozano, Lina ; Haach, Vanessa ; Barboza, Camila Mosca ; dos Santos, Juliana ; Gomes, Bianca Ferreira ; Pardo de Souza, Tatiane de Cassia ; Junior, Pedro Carnieli ; Arns, Clarice Weis ; de Carvalho Ruthner Batista, Helena Beatriz ; Roehe, Paulo Michel ; Franco, Ana Claudia

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Brazilian Journal of Microbiology; v. N/A, p. 7-pg., 2022-11-24.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate, by molecular methods, the presence of influenza A virus (IAV) and coronavirus in non-hematophagous bats collected in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Samples of lung tissue and small intestine from 105 bats belonging to three families (Phyllostomidae, Vespertilionidae, and Molossidae) were collected in 22 municipalities in the state of Sao Paulo. Genetic identification of bats species was performed by amplification and sequencing of a fragment of 710 bp of the mitochondrial COI gene. In the detection of IAV, genomes were performed by RT-PCR, aiming at the amplification of a 245-bp fragment of the IAV matrix (M) protein gene. For coronaviruses, two fragments of 602 and 440 bp corresponding to segments along the gene encoding the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) were targeted. The detection limit for each of the PCRs was also determined. All samples analyzed here were negative for both viruses, and the lower limit of detection of the PCRs for the amplification of influenza virus A and coronavirus was estimated at 3.5 x 10(3) and 4.59 genomic copies per microliter, respectively. Although bats have been shown to harbor a large number of pathogens, the results of the present study support the theory that virus circulation in bats in the wild often occurs at low viral loads and that our understanding of the complex infectious dynamics of these viruses in wild conditions is still limited. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/22946-7 - Innate immune response of the Brazilian bats Desmodus rotundus and Tadarida brasiliensis to rabies Lyssavirus infections
• Grantee: Clarice Weis Arns
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants