Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Miniopterus Bat coronavirus 1

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Group
  
Group IV ((+)ssRNA)

Subfamily
  
Coronavirinae

Rank
  
Species

Family
  
Coronaviridae

Genus
  
Alphacoronavirus

Order
  
Nidovirales

Similar
  
Nidovirales, Betacoronavirus, Torovirus, Tylonycteris

Miniopterus Bat coronavirus 1 is a novel enveloped, single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus species in the Alphacoronavirus, or Group 1, genus with a corona-like morphology. It causes severe acute respiratory syndrome in bats. Isolates have not been found in humans.

Contents

Reservoir

The Miniopterus bat is a bent-winged bat found throughout Asia and the Middle East. Isolates of Miniopterus Bat CoV-1 have not been found in humans. Bat-CoV-1A and 1B have been also isolated from Miniopterus magnater and Minipterus pusillus in Hong Kong. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these group 1 bat coronaviruses have descended from a common ancestor. The four different but closely related group 1 alphacoronaviruses (bat-CoV 1A, 1B, HKU7 and HKU8), have been isolated from otherwise healthy bats which suggests that these viruses are well established in these species.

Transmission

Transmission of Miniopterus Bat CoV-1 within the species is believed to be through droplet-respiration from contaminates of saliva and excreta. There is also evidence of interspecies transmission of coronavirus among bats.

Genome

All the Alpha and betacoronaviruses, Group 1 and Group 2, are derived from the bat gene pool. There are at least four different, but closely related, Alphacoronaviruses (bat-CoV 1A, 1B, HKU7 and HKU8) circulating in bent-winged bats. Coronaviruses in bats are descended from a common ancestor and have been evolving in bats over a long period of time.

A significant percentage of newly emerging viruses are RNA viruses. It is believed this is due to the fact that RNA viruses have a much higher nucleotide mutation rate than DNA viruses.

Habitat

The common bent-wing bat can be found in the following countries:Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Croatia, Republica Dominicana, possibly Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Gibraltar, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, possibly Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Republic of Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, and Yemen.

References

Miniopterus Bat coronavirus 1 Wikipedia