Coronaviruses in Bats in the U.S.

Coronaviruses, the cause of SARS, have been identified for the first time in Western Hemisphere bats.

Bats in the Eastern Hemisphere recently have been identified as reservoir hosts for a number of emerging pathogens, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, Nipah virus, and perhaps Marburg and Ebola viruses. Might bats in North America also harbor coronaviruses? To find out, investigators collected specimens from 57 apparently healthy wild bats (7 species) in four locations in the Rocky Mountain region in 2006.

The specimens — fecal samples and anal and oral swabs — were screened by PCR and nested PCR for the presence of coronaviruses. Coronavirus RNA was detected in 6 of 28 fecal samples tested but in no oral or anal swabs. In one species (Myotis occultus), coronavirus was found in 5 of 10 samples. Sequence analy…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine