School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIunit), Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal.
Viruses. 2023 Jul 8;15(7):1521. doi: 10.3390/v15071521.
The emergence of novel coronaviruses (CoVs) has emphasized the need to understand their diversity and distribution in animal populations. Bats have been identified as crucial reservoirs for CoVs, and they are found in various bat species worldwide. In this study, we investigated the presence of CoVs of four cavernicolous bats in six locations in the centre and south of Portugal. We collected faeces, anal, and buccal swab samples, as well as air samples from the locations using a Coriolis air sampler. Our results indicate that CoVs were more readily detected in faecal samples compared to anal and buccal swab samples. No CoVs were detected in the air samples. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the detected viruses belong to the genus. This study represents the first report of Alphacoronaviruses circulating in bats in Portugal and highlights the importance of continuous surveillance for novel CoVs in bat populations globally. Ongoing surveillance for CoVs in bat populations is essential as they are a vital source of these viruses. It is crucial to understand the ecological relationships between animals, humans, and the environment to prevent and control the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases. Further ecological studies are needed to investigate the factors contributing to the emergence and transmission of zoonotic viruses.
新型冠状病毒（CoV）的出现强调了了解其在动物种群中的多样性和分布的必要性。蝙蝠已被确定为 CoV 的重要宿主，并且在全球范围内的各种蝙蝠物种中都有发现。在这项研究中，我们调查了葡萄牙中部和南部六个地点的四种洞穴蝙蝠的 CoV 存在情况。我们收集了粪便、肛门和口腔拭子样本，以及使用科里奥利空气采样器从这些地点采集的空气样本。我们的结果表明，与肛门和口腔拭子样本相比，粪便样本中更容易检测到 CoV。在空气样本中未检测到 CoV。系统发育分析表明，检测到的病毒属于属。本研究代表了在葡萄牙蝙蝠中循环的甲型冠状病毒的首次报告，并强调了在全球蝙蝠种群中持续监测新型 CoV 的重要性。对蝙蝠种群中 CoV 的持续监测至关重要，因为它们是这些病毒的重要来源。了解动物、人类和环境之间的生态关系对于预防和控制传染病的出现和传播至关重要。需要进一步进行生态研究，以调查导致人畜共患病病毒出现和传播的因素。
