Scientific Reports (Dec 2020)

First detection of bat-borne Issyk-Kul virus in Europe

  • Annika Brinkmann,
  • Claudia Kohl,
  • Aleksandar Radonić,
  • Piotr Wojtek Dabrowski,
  • Kristin Mühldorfer,
  • Andreas Nitsche,
  • Gudrun Wibbelt,
  • Andreas Kurth

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79468-8
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Abstract Bats have been gaining attention as potential reservoir hosts of numerous viruses pathogenic to animals and man. Issyk-Kul virus, a member of the family Nairoviridae, was first isolated in the 1970s from vespertilionid bats in Central Asia. Issyk-Kul virus has been described as human-pathogenic virus, causing febrile outbreaks in humans with headaches, myalgia and nausea. Here we describe the detection of a novel strain of Issyk-Kul virus from Eptesicus nilssonii in Germany. This finding indicates for the first time the prevalence of these zoonotic viruses in Europe.