Molecular identification of a tentatively novel hantavirus in Malaysian Bronze Tube3 nosed Bat (Murina aenea)

In the past ten years several novel hantaviruses were discovered in shrews, moles and 16 bats, suggesting the dispersal of hantaviruses in many animal taxa other than rodents during their 17 evolution. Interestingly, the co-evolutionary analyses of most recent studies have raised the 18 possibility of non-rodents may have served as the primordial mammalian host and harboured the 19 ancestors of rodent-borne hantaviruses as well. The aim of our study was to investigate the presence 20 of hantaviruses in bat lung tissue homogenates originally collected for taxonomic purposes in 21 Malaysia, 2015. Hantavirus specific nested RT-PCR screening of 116 samples targeting the L 22 segment of the virus have revealed the positivity of two lung tissue homogenates originating from 23 Murina aenea bat species. Nanopore sequencing of hantavirus positive samples resulted in partial 24 genomic data from S, M and L genome segments. The obtained results indicate the first molecular 25 evidence for hantavirus in Murina aenae bat species and also the first discovery of a hantavirus in 26 Murina bat species. Sequence analysis of the PCR amplicon and partial genome segments suggests 27 the identified virus may represent a novel species in Mobatvirus genus within Hantaviridae family. 28 Furthermore, our results provide additional genomic data to help extend our knowledge about the 29 evolution of these viruses

Molecular Identification of a Novel Hantavirus in Malaysian Bronze Tube-Nosed Bats (Murina aenea)

In the past ten years, several novel hantaviruses were discovered in shrews, moles, and bats, suggesting the dispersal of hantaviruses in many animal taxa other than rodents during their evolution. Interestingly, the coevolutionary analyses of most recent studies have raised the possibility that nonrodents may have served as the primordial mammalian host and harboured the ancestors of rodent-borne hantaviruses as well. The aim of our study was to investigate the presence of hantaviruses in bat lung tissue homogenates originally collected for taxonomic purposes in Malaysia in 2015. Hantavirus-specific nested RT-PCR screening of 116 samples targeting the L segment of the virus has revealed the positivity of two lung tissue homogenates originating from two individuals, a female and a male of the Murina aenea bat species collected at the same site and sampling occasion. Nanopore sequencing of hantavirus positive samples resulted in partial genomic data from S, M, and L genome segments. The obtained results indicate molecular evidence for hantaviruses in the M. aenea bat species. Sequence analysis of the PCR amplicon and partial genome segments suggests that the identified virus may represent a novel species in the Mobatvirus genus within the Hantaviridae family. Our results provide additional genomic data to help extend our knowledge about the evolution of these viruses