scholarly journals Longitudinal Secretion of Paramyxovirus RNA in the Urine of Straw-Coloured Fruit Bats (Eidolon helvum)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elli Rosa Jolma ◽  
Louise Gibson ◽  
Richard D. Suu-Ire ◽  
Grace Fleischer ◽  
Samuel Asumah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Sequence ◽  
Environmental Temperature ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Rna Sequences ◽  
Sequence Detection ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Eidolon Helvum

The straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and is widely hunted for bushmeat. It is known to harbour a range of paramyxoviruses, including rubuloviruses and henipaviruses, but the zoonotic potential of these is unknown. We previously found a diversity of paramyxoviruses within a small, captive colony of E. helvum after it had been closed to contact with other bats for five years. In this study, we used under-roost urine collection to further investigate the paramyxovirus diversity and ecology in this colony, which had been closed to the outside for ten years at the time of sampling. By sampling urine weekly throughout an entire year, we investigated possible seasonal patterns of shedding of virus or viral RNA. Using a generic paramyxovirus L-gene PCR, we detected eight distinct paramyxovirus RNA sequences. Six distinct sequences were detected using a Henipavirus-specific PCR which targeted a different region of the L-gene. Sequence detection had a bi-annual pattern, with the greatest peak in July, although different RNA sequences appeared to have different shedding patterns. No significant associations were detected between sequence detection and birthing season, environmental temperature or humidity, and no signs of illness were detected in any of the bats in the colony during the period of sample collection.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Secretion of Paramyxovirus RNA in the Urine of Straw-Coloured Fruit Bats (Eidolon helvum)

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1654
Author(s):  
Elli Rosa Jolma ◽  
Louise Gibson ◽  
Richard D. Suu-Ire ◽  
Grace Fleischer ◽  
Samuel Asumah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Sequence ◽  
Environmental Temperature ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Rna Sequences ◽  
Sequence Detection ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Eidolon Helvum

The straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and is widely hunted for bushmeat. It is known to harbour a range of paramyxoviruses, including rubuloviruses and henipaviruses, but the zoonotic potential of these is unknown. We previously found a diversity of paramyxoviruses within a small, captive colony of E. helvum after it had been closed to contact with other bats for 5 years. In this study, we used under-roost urine collection to further investigate the paramyxovirus diversity and ecology in this colony, which had been closed to the outside for 10 years at the time of sampling. By sampling urine weekly throughout an entire year, we investigated possible seasonal patterns of shedding of virus or viral RNA. Using a generic paramyxovirus L-gene PCR, we detected eight distinct paramyxovirus RNA sequences. Six distinct sequences were detected using a Henipavirus-specific PCR that targeted a different region of the L-gene. Sequence detection had a bi-annual pattern, with the greatest peak in July, although different RNA sequences appeared to have different shedding patterns. No significant associations were detected between sequence detection and birthing season, environmental temperature or humidity, and no signs of illness were detected in any of the bats in the colony during the period of sample collection.

scholarly journals The Movement Ecology of the Straw-Colored Fruit Bat, Eidolon helvum, in Sub-Saharan Africa Assessed by Stable Isotope Ratios

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e45729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Ossa ◽  
Stephanie Kramer-Schadt ◽  
Alison J. Peel ◽  
Anne K. Scharf ◽  
Christian C. Voigt
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Stable Isotope Ratios ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Eidolon Helvum

scholarly journals Novel, Potentially Zoonotic Paramyxoviruses from the African Straw-Colored Fruit Bat Eidolon helvum

2012 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 1348-1358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate S. Baker ◽  
Shawn Todd ◽  
Glenn A. Marsh ◽  
Gary Crameri ◽  
Jennifer Barr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Horizontal Transmission ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Domestic Animal ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Phylogenetic Cluster ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Eidolon Helvum

ABSTRACTBats carry a variety of paramyxoviruses that impact human and domestic animal health when spillover occurs. Recent studies have shown a great diversity of paramyxoviruses in an urban-roosting population of straw-colored fruit bats in Ghana. Here, we investigate this further through virus isolation and describe two novel rubulaviruses: Achimota virus 1 (AchPV1) and Achimota virus 2 (AchPV2). The viruses form a phylogenetic cluster with each other and other bat-derived rubulaviruses, such as Tuhoko viruses, Menangle virus, and Tioman virus. We developed AchPV1- and AchPV2-specific serological assays and found evidence of infection with both viruses inEidolon helvumacross sub-Saharan Africa and on islands in the Gulf of Guinea. Longitudinal sampling ofE. helvumindicates virus persistence within fruit bat populations and suggests spread of AchPVs via horizontal transmission. We also detected possible serological evidence of human infection with AchPV2 in Ghana and Tanzania. It is likely that clinically significant zoonotic spillover of chiropteran paramyxoviruses could be missed throughout much of Africa where health surveillance and diagnostics are poor and comorbidities, such as infection with HIV orPlasmodiumsp., are common.

scholarly journals Pteropine Orthoreovirus in an Angolan Soft-Furred Fruit Bat (Lissonycteris angolensis) in Uganda Dramatically Expands the Global Distribution of an Emerging Bat-Borne Respiratory Virus

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 740
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Bennett ◽  
Tony L. Goldberg
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Respiratory Virus ◽  
Rectal Swab ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Zoonotic Virus ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Dsrna Genome ◽  
Sub Saharan

Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV; Reoviridae: Spinareovirinae) is an emerging bat-borne zoonotic virus that causes influenza-like illness (ILI). PRV has thus far been found only in Australia and Asia, where diverse old-world fruit bats (Pteropodidae) serve as hosts. In this study, we report the discovery of PRV in Africa, in an Angolan soft-furred fruit bat (Lissonycteris angolensis ruwenzorii) from Bundibugyo District, Uganda. Metagenomic characterization of a rectal swab yielded 10 dsRNA genome segments, revealing this virus to cluster within the known diversity of PRV variants detected in bats and humans in Southeast Asia. Phylogeographic analyses revealed a correlation between geographic distance and genetic divergence of PRVs globally, which suggests a geographic continuum of PRV diversity spanning Southeast Asia to sub-Saharan Africa. The discovery of PRV in an African bat dramatically expands the geographic range of this zoonotic virus and warrants further surveillance for PRVs outside of Southeast Asia.

scholarly journals A rep-based hairpin inhibits replication of diverse maize streak virus isolates in a transient assay

2011 ◽  
Vol 92 (10) ◽  
pp. 2458-2465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betty E. Owor ◽  
Darren P. Martin ◽  
Edward P. Rybicki ◽  
Jennifer A. Thomson ◽  
Marion E. Bezuidenhout ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virus Replication ◽  
Inverted Repeat ◽  
Virus Genome ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Streak Virus ◽  
Transient Expression Assay ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Post Transcriptional Gene Silencing ◽  
Sub Saharan

Maize streak disease, caused by the A strain of the African endemic geminivirus, maize streak mastrevirus (MSV-A), threatens the food security and livelihoods of subsistence farmers throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Using a well-established transient expression assay, this study investigated the potential of a spliceable-intron hairpin RNA (hpRNA) approach to interfere with MSV replication. Two strategies were explored: (i) an inverted repeat of a 662 bp region of the MSV replication-associated protein gene (rep), which is essential for virus replication and is therefore a good target for post-transcriptional gene silencing; and (ii) an inverted repeat of the viral long intergenic region (LIR), considered for its potential to trigger transcriptional silencing of the viral promoter region. After co-bombardment of cultured maize cells with each construct and an infectious partial dimer of the cognate virus genome (MSV-Kom), followed by viral replicative-form-specific PCR, it was clear that, whilst the hairpin rep construct (pHPrepΔI662) completely inhibited MSV replication, the LIR hairpin construct was ineffective in this regard. In addition, pHPrepΔI662 inhibited or reduced replication of six MSV-A genotypes representing the entire breadth of known MSV-A diversity. Further investigation by real-time PCR revealed that the pHPrepΔI662 inverted repeat was 22-fold more effective at reducing virus replication than a construct containing the sense copy, whilst the antisense copy had no effect on replication when compared with the wild type. This is the first indication that an hpRNA strategy targeting MSV rep has the potential to protect transgenic maize against diverse MSV-A genotypes found throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

scholarly journals Sequence Diversity Within the Three Agents of Groundnut Rosette Disease

2000 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Deom ◽  
R. A. Naidu ◽  
A. J. Chiyembekeza ◽  
B. R. Ntare ◽  
P. Subrahmanyam
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Sequence Diversity ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Satellite Rna ◽  
Rna Sequences ◽  
Cp Gene ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Overlapping Open Reading Frames

Sequence diversity was examined in the coat protein (CP) gene of Groundnut rosette assistor virus (GRAV), the overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) 3 and 4 of Groundnut rosette virus (GRV), and the satellite RNA (sat-RNA) of GRV obtained from field isolates from Malawi and Nigeria. These three agents cause groundnut rosette disease, a major disease of groundnut in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Sequence analysis showed that the GRAV CP gene was highly conserved (97 to 99%) independent of its geographic source. The nucleotide sequence of the overlapping ORFs 3 and 4 of GRV was highly conserved (98 to 100%) from isolates within a geographic region but less conserved (88 to 89%) between isolates from the two distinct geographic regions. Phylogenetic analysis of the overlapping ORFs 3 and 4 show that the GRV isolates cluster according to the geographic region from which they were isolated, indicating that Malawian GRV isolates are distinct from Nigerian GRV isolates. Similarity within the sat-RNA sequences analyzed ranged from 88 to 99%. Phylogenetic analysis also showed clustering within the sat-RNA isolates according to country of origin, as well as within isolates from two distinct regions of Malawi. Because the GRAV CP sequence is highly conserved, independent of the geographic source of the GRAV isolates, the GRAV CP sequence represents the most likely candidate to use for pathogen-derived resistance in groundnut and may provide effective protection against groundnut rosette disease throughout SSA.

scholarly journals 16S rRNA Gene Sequence-Based Identification of Bacteria in Automatically Incubated Blood Culture Materials from Tropical Sub-Saharan Africa

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e0135923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hagen Frickmann ◽  
Denise Dekker ◽  
Norbert Georg Schwarz ◽  
Andreas Hahn ◽  
Kennedy Boahen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Culture ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
16S Rrna Gene ◽  
Gene Sequence ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
16S Rrna Gene Sequence ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Rrna Gene Sequence ◽  
Identification Of Bacteria ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals KASP Genotyping as a Molecular Tool for Diagnosis of Cassava-Colonizing Bemisia tabaci

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 305
Author(s):  
Everlyne N. Wosula ◽  
Wenbo Chen ◽  
Massoud Amour ◽  
Zhangjun Fei ◽  
James P. Legg
Keyword(s):  
Bemisia Tabaci ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Kasp Assay ◽  
Insect Identification ◽  
Gene Coi ◽  
Cryptic Species Complex ◽  
Allele Specific ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Primer Sets

Bemisia tabaci is a cryptic species complex that requires the use of molecular tools for identification. The most widely used approach for achieving this is the partial sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI). A more reliable single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based genotyping approach, using Nextera restriction-site-associated DNA (NextRAD) sequencing, has demonstrated the existence of six major haplogroups of B. tabaci on cassava in Africa. However, NextRAD sequencing is costly and time-consuming. We, therefore, developed a cheaper and more rapid diagnostic using the Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) approach. Seven sets of primers were designed to distinguish the six B. tabaci haplogroups based on the NextRAD data. Out of the 152 whitefly samples that were tested using these primer sets, 151 (99.3%) produced genotyping results consistent with NextRAD. The KASP assay was designed using NextRAD data on whiteflies from cassava in 18 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. This assay can, therefore, be routinely used to rapidly diagnose cassava B. tabaci by laboratories that are researching or monitoring this pest in Africa. This is the first study to develop an SNP-based assay to distinguish B. tabaci whiteflies on cassava in Africa, and the first application of the KASP technique for insect identification.

First record of the Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus (Pteropodidae), from Kastellorizo island, Greece

Mammalia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. 611-613
Author(s):  
Ilias Strachinis ◽  
Konstantinos Kalaentzis ◽  
Philippos Katsiyiannis ◽  
Christos Kazilas
Keyword(s):  
First Record ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Sw Turkey ◽  
Palearctic Region ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
White Mulberry ◽  
The Town

Abstract The Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) is a pteropodid species with a large part of its range in the Palearctic region. It has a quite discontinuous range from sub-Saharan Africa to NW India, including SW Turkey. In this note we present the first record of the Egyptian fruit bat in Greek territory, observed during a zoological expedition on the island of Kastellorizo (Dodecanese, Greece). At least three specimens were observed foraging a white mulberry in the town of Megisti on May 4 2017, but no individual was spotted during a summer expedition in August 2017.

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