SARS-Like Coronavirus WIV1-CoV Does Not Replicate in Egyptian Fruit Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus)

Neeltje van Doremalen; Alexandra Schäfer; Vineet D Menachery; Michael Letko; Trenton Bushmaker; Robert J Fischer; Dania M Figueroa; Patrick W Hanley; Greg Saturday; Ralph S Baric; Vincent J Munster

doi:10.3390/v10120727

SARS-Like Coronavirus WIV1-CoV Does Not Replicate in Egyptian Fruit Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus)

Viruses. 2018 Dec 19;10(12):727. doi: 10.3390/v10120727.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. neeltje.vandoremalen@nih.gov.
² Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. aschaefe@email.unc.edu.
³ Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. vimenach@UTMB.EDU.
⁴ Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. michael.letko@nih.gov.
⁵ Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. bushmakertj@niaid.nih.gov.
⁶ Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. fischerro@niaid.nih.gov.
⁷ Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. dania.figueroa@nih.gov.
⁸ Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. patrick.hanley@nih.gov.
⁹ Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. greg.saturday@nih.gov.
¹⁰ Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. rbaric@email.unc.edu.
¹¹ Laboratory of Virology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. Vincent.munster@nih.gov.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-like WIV1-coronavirus (CoV) was first isolated from Rhinolophus sinicus bats and can use the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. In the current study, we investigate the ability of WIV1-CoV to infect Rousettus aegyptiacus bats. No clinical signs were observed throughout the experiment. Furthermore, only four oropharyngeal swabs and two respiratory tissues, isolated on day 3 post inoculation, were found positive for viral RNA. Two out of twelve bats showed a modest increase in coronavirus specific antibodies post challenge. In conclusion, WIV1-CoV was unable to cause a robust infection in Rousettus aegyptiacus bats.

Keywords: WIV1-CoV; animal model; coronavirus; emerging infectious diseases.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

Animals
Antibodies, Viral / blood
Chiroptera / virology*
Coronavirus / genetics
Coronavirus / physiology*
Coronavirus Infections / immunology
Coronavirus Infections / virology*
Disease Models, Animal
Male
Oropharynx / virology
RNA, Viral / genetics
Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / genetics
Virus Replication*

Substances

Antibodies, Viral
RNA, Viral

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding