DBatVir: the database of bat-associated viruses

Abstract

Emerging infectious diseases remain a significant threat to public health. Most emerging infectious disease agents in humans are of zoonotic origin. Bats are important reservoir hosts of many highly lethal zoonotic viruses and have been implicated in numerous emerging infectious disease events in recent years. It is essential to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the genetic diversity of the bat-associated viruses to prevent future outbreaks. To facilitate further research, we constructed the database of bat-associated viruses (DBatVir). Known viral sequences detected in bat samples were manually collected and curated, along with the related metadata, such as the sampling time, location, bat species and specimen type. Additional information concerning the bats, including common names, diet type, geographic distribution and phylogeny were integrated into the database to bridge the gap between virologists and zoologists. The database currently covers >4100 bat-associated animal viruses of 23 viral families detected from 196 bat species in 69 countries worldwide. It provides an overview and snapshot of the current research regarding bat-associated viruses, which is essential now that the field is rapidly expanding. With a user-friendly interface and integrated online bioinformatics tools, DBatVir provides a convenient and powerful platform for virologists and zoologists to analyze the virome diversity of bats, as well as for epidemiologists and public health researchers to monitor and track current and future bat-related infectious diseases. Database URL: http://www.mgc.ac.cn/DBatVir/.

Figure 1.

The web interface of DBatVir. (A) Multifunctional menu panel (left) and main content panel showing an information table of viruses with one line expanded (right). (B) Text search form enables both quick and advanced queries. (C) Collapsed menu panel (left vertical bar) and main content panel showing the bat-related information with a simple search engine on the bottom toolbar (right). (D) Main content panel showing the global distribution map with markers color-coded by number of bat-associated viruses currently detected. The content panel contains multiple different tabs (see above tab title cards).

Figure 2.

Statistical pie charts available for easy online analyses. (A) Viral family distribution of 570 viruses detected from bats in Africa. (B) Viral family distribution of 553 viruses detected from bats in Europe.