Detection of adenovirus, papillomavirus and parvovirus in Brazilianbats of the species Artibeus lituratus and Sturnira lilium

Abstract

AbstractBats play a significant role in maintaining their ecosystems through pollination, dispersal of seeds, and control of insectpopulations, but they are also known to host many microorganisms and have been described as natural reservoirs for viruseswith zoonotic potential. The diversity of viruses in these animals remains largely unknown, however, because studies arelimited by species, location, virus target, or sample type. Therefore, the aim of this study was to detect fragments of viralgenomes in bat samples. We performed high-throughput sequencing analysis and specific PCR and RT-PCR on pools of analand oropharyngeal swabs from Artibeus lituratus and Sturnira lilium collected in southern Brazil. As a result, a member ofthe family Adenoviridae related to human adenovirus C was detected in anal swabs from S. lilium. In addition, we detected apapillomavirus in an anal swab from A. lituratus. Our analyses also allowed the detection of adenoviruses and parvovirusesin oropharyngeal swabs collected from A. lituratus. These results increase our knowledge about viral diversity and illustratethe importance of conducting virus surveillance in bats