Human betacoronavirus 2c EMC/2012-related viruses in bats, Ghana and Europe

Emerg Infect Dis. 2013 Mar;19(3):456-9. doi: 10.3201/eid1903.121503.

Abstract

We screened fecal specimens of 4,758 bats from Ghana and 272 bats from 4 European countries for betacoronaviruses. Viruses related to the novel human betacoronavirus EMC/2012 were detected in 46 (24.9%) of 185 Nycteris bats and 40 (14.7%) of 272 Pipistrellus bats. Their genetic relatedness indicated EMC/2012 originated from bats.

Keywords: Africa; CoV-EMC; Europe; Ghana; bats; coronavirus; human betacoronavirus; viruses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bayes Theorem
  • Chiroptera / virology*
  • Coronavirus / genetics*
  • Coronavirus / isolation & purification
  • Coronavirus Infections / veterinary*
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Europe
  • Feces / virology
  • Female
  • Genes, Viral
  • Ghana
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Molecular Typing
  • Phylogeny
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA