Researchers from the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore and scientists from China have characterized and identified a new genus of filovirus from a Rousettus bat which can be found in China. The study was published in Nature Microbiology journal.
According to Phys.org, bat-borne viruses pose a considerable threat to animal, as well as human health worldwide. Filoviruses, particularly Marburg virus and Ebola virus, are potentially dangerous and can usually cause fatal fever diseases in humans by damaging blood vessels and affecting many organs.
Researchers identified the new bat-borne virus while analyzing the diversity of filoviruses in Rousettus bats. They were able to detect the virus from a bat sample, and then they conducted sequencing and functional characterization studies. The team named it Měnglà virus as it was discovered in Měnglà County, Yunnan Province, China.
Professor Wang Lin-Fa, the senior author of the study from the Duke-NUS Medical School, said studying the geographic distribution and genetic diversity of bat-borne filoviruses is vital in risk assessment, as well as outbreak prevention as this particular infectious disease can affect the general public without any warnings and with devastating consequences.
Results revealed that Měnglà virus is representing a new genus named Dianlovirus which is within the group of a filovirus. The new virus is considered genetically distinct as it only shared 32 percent to 54 percent of its genetic sequence with other known filoviruses. This virus - which possibly includes more than one species - sits between Marburg and Ebola virus on the evolutionary tree.
Researchers also tested the Měnglà virus in cell lines from different animal species, and they found out that, just like other filoviruses, it poses a potential risk of interspecies transmission.
Further results revealed the virus is evolutionarily closely related to Marburg and Ebola virus and it shares several important functional similarities with them. For instance, the genome organization of this new virus consistent with other filoviruses and it also uses a similar molecular receptor - a protein known as NPC1 - so it could enter the cells and cause infection.
Professor Patrick Casey, the Senior Vice Dean of Research at the Duke-NUS Medical School, noted it's very important to assess and identify the risk of potential infectious disease outbreaks so researchers could develop effective controls strategies as well as treatments. At the moment, the Měnglà virus was only identified from Rousettus bats in China, and additional tests will be done to evaluate its risk spreading to other species.
