Diverse DNA virus genomes identified in fecal samples of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) captured in Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona (USA)

Ciara Harding; Brendan B Larsen; Hans W Otto; Ahva L Potticary; Simona Kraberger; Joy M Custer; Crystal Suazo; Nathan S Upham; Michael Worobey; Koenraad Van Doorslaer; Arvind Varsani

doi:10.1016/j.virol.2023.02.004

Diverse DNA virus genomes identified in fecal samples of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) captured in Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona (USA)

Virology. 2023 Mar:580:98-111. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.02.004. Epub 2023 Feb 12.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
² Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
³ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
⁴ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA; University of Georgia in the Department of Entomology, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
⁵ The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
⁶ School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
⁷ School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The BIO5 Institute, Department of Immunobiology, Cancer Biology Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, Genetics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, UA Cancer Center, University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA.
⁸ The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; Structural Biology Research Unit, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa. Electronic address: arvind.varsani@asu.edu.

PMID: 36801670
DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.02.004

Abstract

Bats (order Chiroptera) are some of the most abundant mammals on earth and their species ecology strongly influences zoonotic potential. While substantial research has been conducted on bat-associated viruses, particularly on those that can cause disease in humans and/or livestock, globally, limited research has focused on endemic bats in the USA. The southwest region of the US is of particular interest because of its high diversity of bat species. We identified 39 single-stranded DNA virus genomes in the feces of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) sampled in the Rucker Canyon (Chiricahua Mountains) of southeast Arizona (USA). Twenty-eight of these belong to the virus families Circoviridae (n = 6), Genomoviridae (n = 17), and Microviridae (n = 5). Eleven viruses cluster with other unclassified cressdnaviruses. Most of the viruses identified represent new species. Further research on identification of novel bat-associated cressdnaviruses and microviruses is needed to provide greater insights regarding their co-evolution and ecology relative to bats.

Keywords: Circoviridae; Cressdnaviricota; Genomoviridae; Microviridae; Tadarida brasiliensis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Arizona
Chiroptera*
DNA
DNA Viruses
Feces
Genome, Viral
Humans

Substances

DNA