<i>Myotis fimbriatus</i> Virome, a Window to Virus Diversity and Evolution in the Genus <i>Myotis</i>
Alix Armero,
Ruiya Li,
Kathrina Mae Bienes,
Xing Chen,
Jihao Li,
Shiman Xu,
Yanhua Chen,
Alice C. Hughes,
Nicolas Berthet,
Gary Wong
Affiliations
Alix Armero
Unit of Discovery and Molecular Characterization of Pathogens, Centre for Microbes, Development, and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
Ruiya Li
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Research Unit, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
Kathrina Mae Bienes
Unit of Discovery and Molecular Characterization of Pathogens, Centre for Microbes, Development, and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
Xing Chen
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jinghong 666303, China
Jihao Li
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jinghong 666303, China
Shiman Xu
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Research Unit, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
Yanhua Chen
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Research Unit, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
Alice C. Hughes
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jinghong 666303, China
Nicolas Berthet
Unit of Discovery and Molecular Characterization of Pathogens, Centre for Microbes, Development, and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
Gary Wong
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Research Unit, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
Significant efforts have been made to characterize viral diversity in bats from China. Many of these studies were prospective and focused mainly on Rhinolophus bats that could be related to zoonotic events. However, other species of bats that are part of ecosystems identified as virus diversity hotspots have not been studied in-depth. We analyzed the virome of a group of Myotis fimbriatus bats collected from the Yunnan Province during 2020. The virome of M. fimbriatus revealed the presence of families of pathogenic viruses such as Coronavirus, Astrovirus, Mastadenovirus, and Picornavirus, among others. The viral sequences identified in M. fimbriatus were characterized by significant divergence from other known viral sequences of bat origin. Complex phylogenetic landscapes implying a tendency of co-specificity and relationships with viruses from other mammals characterize these groups. The most prevalent and abundant virus in M. fimbriatus individuals was an alphacoronavirus. The genome of this virus shows evidence of recombination and is likely the product of ancestral host-switch. The close phylogenetic and ecological relationship of some species of the Myotis genus in China may have played an important role in the emergence of this alphacoronavirus.
