Emerging Infectious Diseases (Mar 2013)

Human Betacoronavirus 2c EMC/2012–related Viruses in Bats, Ghana and Europe

  • Augustina Annan,
  • Heather J. Baldwin,
  • Victor Max Corman,
  • Stefan M. Klose,
  • Michael Owusu,
  • Evans Ewald Nkrumah,
  • Ebenezer Kofi Badu,
  • Priscilla Anti,
  • Olivia Agbenyega,
  • Benjamin Meyer,
  • Samuel Oppong,
  • Yaw Adu Sarkodie,
  • Elisabeth K.V. Kalko,
  • Peter H.C. Lina,
  • Elena V. Godlevska,
  • Chantal Reusken,
  • Antje Seebens,
  • Florian Gloza-Rausch,
  • Peter Vallo,
  • Marco Tschapka,
  • Christian Drosten,
  • Jan Felix Drexler

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1903.121503
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 3
pp. 456 – 459

Abstract

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We screened fecal specimens of 4,758 bats from Ghana and 272 bats from 4 European countries for betacoronaviruses. Viruses related to the novel human betacoronavirus EMC/2012 were detected in 46 (24.9%) of 185 Nycteris bats and 40 (14.7%) of 272 Pipistrellus bats. Their genetic relatedness indicated EMC/2012 originated from bats.

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