Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Feb;65(1):30-42.
doi: 10.1111/zph.12362. Epub 2017 Apr 18.

Detection of potentially novel paramyxovirus and coronavirus viral RNA in bats and rats in the Mekong Delta region of southern Viet Nam

A Berto  1 , P H Anh  1 , J J Carrique-Mas  1   2 , P Simmonds  3 , N Van Cuong  1 , N T Tue  1 , N Van Dung  3 , M E Woolhouse  4 , I Smith  5 , G A Marsh  5 , J E Bryant  1   2 , G E Thwaites  1   2 , S Baker  1   2   6 , M A Rabaa  1   2 ; VIZIONS consortium
Collaborators, Affiliations

Detection of potentially novel paramyxovirus and coronavirus viral RNA in bats and rats in the Mekong Delta region of southern Viet Nam

A Berto et al. Zoonoses Public Health. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

Bats and rodents are being increasingly recognized as reservoirs of emerging zoonotic viruses. Various studies have investigated bat viruses in tropical regions, but to date there are no data regarding viruses with zoonotic potential that circulate in bat and rat populations in Viet Nam. To address this paucity of data, we sampled three bat farms and three wet markets trading in rat meat in the Mekong Delta region of southern Viet Nam. Faecal and urine samples were screened for the presence of RNA from paramyxoviruses, coronaviruses and filoviruses. Paramyxovirus RNA was detected in 4 of 248 (1%) and 11 of 222 (4.9%) bat faecal and urine samples, respectively. Coronavirus RNA was detected in 55 of 248 (22%) of bat faecal samples; filovirus RNA was not detected in any of the bat samples. Further, coronavirus RNA was detected in 12 of 270 (4.4%) of rat faecal samples; all samples tested negative for paramyxovirus. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the bat paramyxoviruses and bat and rat coronaviruses were related to viruses circulating in bat and rodent populations globally, but showed no cross-species mixing of viruses between bat and rat populations within Viet Nam. Our study shows that potentially novel variants of paramyxoviruses and coronaviruses commonly circulate in bat and rat populations in Viet Nam. Further characterization of the viruses and additional human and animal surveillance is required to evaluate the likelihood of viral spillover and to assess whether these viruses pose a risk to human health.

Keywords: Viet Nam; bats; coronavirus; paramyxovirus; rats; zoonotic viruses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The phylogenetic relationships of paramyxoviruses sampled from Vietnamese bats. Maximum‐likelihood phylogeny constructed using RNA sequences from 15 Vietnamese bat paramyxovirus RNA‐positive samples and 69 reference sequences from the conserved region within the RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene (344 bp). The tree is mid‐point‐rooted for the purpose of clarity. Scale bar indicates the number of substitutions per site. Bootstrap support values are shown for nodes with ≥80% bootstrap support. Sequences from Vietnamese bats are indicated in red. [Colour figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 2
Figure 2
The phylogenetic relationships of alphacoronaviruses sampled from Vietnamese bats. Maximum‐likelihood phylogeny constructed using RNA sequences from 40 Vietnamese bats and 98 reference sequences from the conserved region within the coronavirus RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene (407 bp) accessed from GenBank, including a bat betacoronavirus sequence as an outgroup. Scale bar indicates the number of substitutions per site. Bootstrap support values are shown for nodes with ≥80% bootstrap support. Sequences from Vietnamese bats are indicated in red. [Colour figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 3
Figure 3
The phylogenetic relationships of betacoronaviruses sampled from Vietnamese rats. Maximum‐likelihood phylogeny constructed using RNA sequences from nine Vietnamese rats and 81 reference sequences from the conserved region within the coronavirus RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene (407 bp) accessed from GenBank, including a bat alphacoronavirus as an outgroup. Scale bar indicates the number of substitutions per site. Bootstrap support values are shown for nodes with ≥80% bootstrap support. Sequences from Vietnamese rats are indicated in blue. [Colour figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Baker, K. S. , Todd, S. , Marsh, G. A. , Crameri, G. , Barr, J. , Kamins, A. O. , … Wang, L. F . (2013). Novel, potentially zoonotic paramyxoviruses from the African straw‐colored fruit bat Eidolon helvum. Journal of Virology, 87, 1348–1358. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bates, P. , Kingston, T. , Francis, C. , Rosell‐Ambal, G. , Heaney, L. , Gonzales, J.‐C. , … Srinivasulu, C. (2016). Scotophilus kuhlii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T20068A9142479 Retrieved from 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T20068A9142479.en (Accessed September 9 2016). - DOI
    1. Calisher, C. H. , Childs, J. E. , Field, H. E. , Holmes, K. V. , & Schountz, T. (2006). Bats: Important reservoir hosts of emerging viruses. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 19, 531–545. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Drexler, J. F. , Corman, V. M. , & Drosten, C. (2014). Ecology, evolution and classification of bat coronaviruses in the aftermath of SARS. Antiviral Research, 101, 45–56. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Drexler, J. F. , Corman, V. M. , Gloza‐Rausch, F. , Seebens, A. , Annan, A. , Ipsen, A. , … Drosten, C . (2009). Henipavirus RNA in African bats. PLoS One, 4, e6367. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data