News Item
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Smriti Mallapaty
Summary: A study suggests that around 40% of horseshoe bats in the region have not been formally described.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mireille Farjo, Christopher B. Brooke
Summary: Influenza viruses infecting the same host can hinder each other's replication, leading to spatial structuring of infected cells in tissue and impacting viral evolution.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Martha I. Nelson, Elodie Ghedin
Summary: The evolutionary steps taken by the 1918 flu pandemic virus have been revealed through the analysis of lung samples stored in medical archives. Three genomes of the influenza A virus responsible for the global pandemic have been obtained, showing mutations that may have triggered the devastating second wave.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Timothy M. White, Felicia D. Goodrum
Summary: The microenvironment of virus-infected cells and uninfected adjacent cells plays a role in infection. Human cytomegalovirus suppresses the immune response of neighboring uninfected cells, while distant cells can mount an antiviral defense. This raises the question of how the cellular microenvironment influences viral infection.
Article
Virology
Ziqian Xu, Yun Feng, Xinxin Chen, Mang Shi, Shihong Fu, Weihong Yang, William J. Liu, George F. Gao, Guodong Liang
Summary: Bats are reservoirs of important zoonotic viruses, but it is unclear whether blood-sucking arthropods on their body surface also carry these viruses. In this study, arthropods collected from bats in China were analyzed, revealing a diverse range of viruses. Most of these viruses were arthropod-specific, but three potentially arboviruses were identified, highlighting the possibility of virus spillage.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Michael J. Loeffelholz, Bradley W. Fenwick
Summary: The classification of viruses is important for scientific and clinical disciplines, and recent updates on disease-causing viruses have been influenced by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Thejanee Perera, Franziska Schwarz, Therese Muzeniek, Sahan Siriwardana, Beate Becker-Ziaja, Inoka C. Perera, Shiroma Handunnetti, Jagathpriya Weerasena, Gayani Premawansa, Sunil Premawansa, Andreas Nitsche, Wipula Yapa, Claudia Kohl
Summary: This study addresses the research gap in the molecular taxonomy of Sri Lankan bats by accurately identifying five bat species using molecular techniques. The findings contribute to the future conservation and systematic studies of bats in Sri Lanka.
Review
Microbiology
Ryan F. Relich, Michael J. Loeffelholz
Summary: The classification of viruses remains important in various disciplines, including clinical virology. Since 2019, new taxonomic revisions have been made to known viruses and several novel human and animal viruses have been discovered. This update provides an overview of taxonomic changes for disease-causing viruses of humans between 2020 and 2022, based on recent advancements by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Andrea Balboni, Lorenza Urbani, Mauro Delogu, Carmela Musto, Maria Cristina Fontana, Giuseppe Merialdi, Giuseppe Lucifora, Alessia Terrusi, Francesco Dondi, Mara Battilani
Summary: Different DNA viruses were detected in Italian wolves, with Carnivore protoparvoviruses being the most commonly found. Close correlations were observed between the viruses in wolves and those circulating in domestic dogs, indicating potential cross-transmission between the two species. Additional studies are needed to further investigate this phenomenon.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Suzanne Scott, Claus Hallwirth, Felix Hartkopf, Susanna Grigson, Yatish Jain, Ian E. Alexander, Denis C. Bauer, Laurence O. W. Wilson
Summary: Detecting viral and vector integration events is crucial in various fields, and a new tool called isling has been developed to address this issue. Isling is capable of identifying integrations in both wild-type and vector viruses, and performs better than other tools in terms of speed and accuracy. It is a versatile tool that can be applied to different datasets.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Virology
Wenyu Yang, Tony Schountz, Wenjun Ma
Summary: Bats serve as natural reservoirs for many viruses, some of which can be transmitted to humans. Unusual influenza viruses H17N10 and H18N11 have been identified in New World bats, while an H9N2-like influenza A virus was found in Old World bats, showing characteristics similar to regular influenza A viruses. This review provides insight into the current status and future perspectives of influenza A viruses discovered in bats.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vanessa Moresco, David M. Oliver, Manfred Weidmann, Sabine Matallana-Surget, Richard S. Quilliam
Summary: Plastics and microplastics in the environment can serve as a habitat for pathogenic bacteria and fungi, known as the 'plastisphere,' which may enhance the adhesion, survival, and dissemination of human pathogenic viruses, potentially leading to more effective transfer and transmission of viral diseases within the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marion Dejosez, Arturo Marin, Graham M. Hughes, Ariadna E. Morales, Carlos Godoy-Parejo, Jonathan L. Gray, Yiren Qin, Arun A. Singh, Hui Xu, Javier Juste, Carlos Ibanez, Kris M. White, Romel Rosales, Nancy J. Francoeur, Robert P. Sebra, Dominic Alcock, Thomas L. Volkert, Sebastien J. Puechmaille, Andrzej Pastusiak, Simon D. W. Frost, Michael Hiller, Richard A. Young, Emma C. Teeling, Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Thomas P. Zwaka
Summary: By creating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from bats, researchers have discovered that bats can tolerate a large load of viral sequences and may have a more intertwined relationship with viruses. Further study of bat iPSCs and their differentiated progeny will provide insights into bat biology, virus host relationships, and the molecular basis of bats' special traits.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Feng Chen, Jian-Rong Yang
Summary: Human respiratory viruses have different levels of virulence and their evolutionary patterns are influenced by the codon usage bias (CUB) in their structural and nonstructural genes. There is an interaction between CUB and virulence in respiratory viruses, with weakly virulent viruses showing greater CUB similarity to humans in nonstructural genes and strongly virulent viruses showing greater CUB similarity in structural genes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Talia Kustin, Adi Stern
Summary: RNA viruses exhibit a trend towards A-rich coding sequences during evolution, mainly influenced by selection pressures, which contribute to the advancement of genome evolution. Research findings suggest that single-stranded RNA viruses undergo selective pressure resulting in the presence of A-rich coding sequences in their genomes.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Marton Z. Vidovszky, Zhizhou Tan, Michael J. Carr, Sandor Boldogh, Balazs Harrach, Gabriel Gonzalez
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY
(2020)
Article
Virology
Peter J. Walker, Stuart G. Siddell, Elliot J. Lefkowitz, Arcady R. Mushegian, Evelien M. Adriaenssens, Donald M. Dempsey, Bas E. Dutilh, Balazs Harrach, Robert L. Harrison, R. Curtis Hendrickson, Sandra Junglen, Nick J. Knowles, Andrew M. Kropinski, Mart Krupovic, Jens H. Kuhn, Max Nibert, Richard J. Orton, Luisa Rubino, Sead Sabanadzovic, Peter Simmonds, Donald B. Smith, Arvind Varsani, Francisco Murilo Zerbini, Andrew J. Davison
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
(2020)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Judit J. Penzes, Leonora Szirovicza, Balazs Harrach
INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2020)
Article
Zoology
Tamas Cserkesz, Csaba Kiss, Zoltan Barkaszi, Tamas Gorfol, Igor Zagorodniuk, Gabor Sramko, Gabor Csorba
Summary: The study revealed significant morphological differentiation between European polecats and steppe polecats, with a slight overlap in sympatric populations. The subspecies and nominal taxa of steppe polecats partially overlapped, indicating ongoing hybridization. Although intermediate individuals were found in sympatric populations, limited genetic exchange between the species was suggested.
Article
Zoology
Manuel Ruedi, Uttam Saikia, Adora Thabah, Tamas Gorfol, Sanjan Thapa, Gabor Csorba
Summary: This study clarified the systematic position of the small Myotinae in the Himalayas using a combination of morphological and genetic data, revealing a distinct lineage and the common occurrence of the poorly known genus Submyotodon in the region. Additionally, species-level divergences within the Submyotodon genus and the homoplasy of unusual dental characters in the subfamily were demonstrated. The study also highlighted the need for better data curation for Asian Myotis DNA sequences deposited in public repositories.
Review
Immunology
Claudia Kohl, Andreas Nitsche, Andreas Kurth
Summary: Bats are increasingly being recognized as potential reservoir hosts of highly virulent viruses, with implications for public health. Further research is needed to study these viruses and ongoing monitoring is recommended.
Editorial Material
Biodiversity Conservation
Tamas Gorfol, Gabor Endre Toth, Sandor Andras Boldogh, Ferenc Jakab, Gabor Kemenesi
Article
Infectious Diseases
Akbar Dastjerdi, Sonja Jeckel, Hannah Davies, Jennifer Irving, Camille Longue, Charlotte Plummer, Marton Z. Vidovszky, Balazs Harrach, Julian Chantrey, Henny Martineau, Jonathan Williams
Summary: Adenoviruses are responsible for major diseases in various animal species, with deer species known to be affected by adenoviruses 1 and 2. While the former causes high fatality adenovirus hemorrhagic disease in certain deer species, the latter has been linked to fever, cough, and bleeding. Additionally, a novel deer mastadenovirus associated with necrotizing bronchiolitis in captive reindeer was identified for the first time.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tamas Gorfol, Joe Chun-Chia Huang, Gabor Csorba, Dorottya Gyorossy, Peter Estok, Tigga Kingston, Kriszta Lilla Szabadi, Ellen McArthur, Juliana Senawi, Neil M. Furey, Vuong Tan Tu, Vu Dinh Thong, Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan, Emy Ritta Jinggong, Melissa Donnelly, Jayaraj Vijaya Kumaran, Jian-Nan Liu, Shiang-Fan Chen, Mao-Ning Tuanmu, Ying-Yi Ho, Heng-Chia Chang, Nurul-Ain Elias, Nur-Izzati Abdullah, Lee-Sim Lim, C. Daniel Squire, Sandor Zsebok
Summary: The ChiroVox website is the largest open-access bat call library, providing over 3,900 recordings of nearly 200 species, serving as a valuable resource for researchers and ecologists.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gabor Kemenesi, Gabor E. Toth, Martin Mayora-Neto, Simon Scott, Nigel Temperton, Edward Wright, Elke Muhlberger, Adam J. Hume, Ellen L. Suder, Brigitta Zana, Sandor A. Boldogh, Tamas Gorfol, Peter Estok, Zsofia Lanszki, Balazs A. Somogyi, Agnes Nagy, Csaba Pereszlenyi, Gabor Dudas, Fanni Foldes, Kornelia Kurucz, Monika Madai, Safia Zeghbib, Piet Maes, Bert Vanmechelen, Ferenc Jakab
Summary: The study reveals that Lloviu virus is a tropical virus that can infect humans and was first identified in Schreiber's bats in Europe. The researchers also found Lloviu virus RNA in ectoparasites of the bats. These findings support the role of bats as hosts for Lloviu virus in Europe.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Thejanee Perera, Franziska Schwarz, Therese Muzeniek, Sahan Siriwardana, Beate Becker-Ziaja, Inoka C. Perera, Shiroma Handunnetti, Jagathpriya Weerasena, Gayani Premawansa, Sunil Premawansa, Andreas Nitsche, Wipula Yapa, Claudia Kohl
Summary: This study addresses the research gap in the molecular taxonomy of Sri Lankan bats by accurately identifying five bat species using molecular techniques. The findings contribute to the future conservation and systematic studies of bats in Sri Lanka.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Marton Z. Vidovszky, Szilvia Kapitany, Akos Gellert, Balazs Harrach, Tamas Gorfol, Sandor A. Boldogh, Claudia Kohl, Gudrun Wibbelt, Kristin Muehldorfer, Gabor Kemenesi, Guy-Crispin Gembu, Alexandre Hassanin, Vuong Tan Tu, Peter Estok, Anna Horvath, Gyozo L. Kajan
Summary: By screening and analyzing 424 bat samples from more than 80 species on four continents, a wide diversity of bat-associated circoviruses and circular rep-encoding single-stranded DNA (CRESS DNA) viruses were identified. Most of the bat strains belonged to the genus Circovirus, while some belonged to the genus Cyclovirus and clades CRESS1 and CRESS3. Additionally, 71 new species were predicted in the family Circoviridae. These findings highlight the importance of discovering and describing new cirliviruses and the establishment of new species and families in the order Cirlivirales.
VETERINARY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Vuong Tan Tu, Neil M. Furey, Tamas Gorfol, Alexandre Hassanin, Satoru Arai, Daisuke Koyabu, Bounsavane Douangboubpha, Gabor Csorba
Summary: This study integrates multiple data sources to re-evaluate the taxonomic status of Rhinolophus rex rex, R. r. paradoxolophus and R. schnitzleri. Contrary to the current taxonomic view, the results indicate that these taxa are actually representatives of a single, widely distributed and morphologically variable species, R. rex. The recognition of different subspecies or distinct species based on morphological and acoustic data should be regarded as invalid.
VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kriszta Lilla Szabadi, Aniko Kurali, Nor Amira Abdul Rahman, Jeremy S. P. Froidevaux, Elizabeth Tinsley, Gareth Jones, Tamas Gorfol, Peter Estok, Sandor Zsebok
Summary: Solar energy is an important renewable energy source, but the ecological effects of solar farms are still unknown. Previous studies have shown that smooth surfaces, like solar panels, can attract bats and insects, increasing the risk of collisions and suggesting that solar farms may have complex effects on local ecosystems. We conducted a survey to evaluate the impact of solar farms on bat activity and the composition of bat communities, and found that some bat species can exploit this artificial environment, although certain conservation concerns need to be addressed.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
