Discovery of a new virus in Mediterranean bats
Photo:PauBalartiGarcia
An international research team, with prominent participation from the Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) de la Universitat de Barcelona, has identified a new species of virus in Mediterranean insectivorous bats.
The study, published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, describes for the first time the Mediterranean Bat Virus (MBV), a new member of the Vesiculovirus genus.
Bats as reservoirs of emerging viruses
Bats are the natural hosts of a wide variety of viruses, particularly those belonging to the Rhabdoviridae family, which include the lyssaviruses, the etiological agents of rabies. This viral family is one of the most abundant and diverse, with 434 officially recognized species. However, the current diversity of these viruses in bats remains poorly known.
The research, led by the Pasteur Institute in Paris, has had the collaboration of Dr. Jordi Serra-Cobo and Marc López-Roig, researchers at IRBio, have based their analysis on almost 2,000 samples collected between 2007 and 2019 in nine countries in Europe and Africa, including blood, brain and oral swabs from several species of bats.
The results show that MBV circulates in populations of bats of the genera Rhinolophus and Miniopterus schreibersii on both sides of the Mediterranean region. In addition, the virus has been detected in both blood and saliva, suggesting possible routes of transmission by hematogenous or oral routes. The presence of the virus in blood samples suggests that it could be an arthropod-borne virus. Most vesiculovirus species are transmitted by arthropods, mainly insects, which feed on the blood of infected vertebrates.
This discovery expands the knowledge about viral diversity in bats and underlines the importance of these animals as natural reservoirs of emerging viruses. It also highlights the need to continue active surveillance and research on the zoonotic potential of these viruses.
“This work is an example of how international collaboration and systematic collection of samples over time can lead to discoveries relevant to public health and biodiversity conservation,” highlights Dr. Serra-Cobo.
New molecular techniques
The study has also allowed the validation of a new molecular technique (pan-rhabdo RT-nqPCR) for the broad detection of viruses of the Rhabdoviridae family. This new methodology can track multiple viral species simultaneously, even in samples with very low viral load. This may be key for future research in this field to have a deeper understanding of the viral biodiversity present in wildlife, and is particularly useful for detecting emerging viruses before they can pose a risk to public health.