Identification and genomic characterisation of known and novel highly divergent sapoviruses in frugivorous and insectivorous bats in Nigeria

Sapovirus (SaV) infections have been linked with moderate-to-severe acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in animals and humans and represent a significant risk to public health. SaVs from animals including pigs, chimpanzees, and rodents have been reported to be closely related with human SaVs, indicating the possibility of cross-species transmission. Divergent SaVs have been reported in various bat species across various continents including Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa. However, little is known about the evolutionary history of SaVs across various bat species and their zoonotic potential. In this report, we describe the findings of a surveillance study across various bat species in Nigeria. Samples were pooled and subjected to metagenomics sequencing and analyses. Nine of 57 sample pools (containing 223 rectal swabs from five bat species) had SaV reads from which we assembled a total of four complete and three near-complete (having complete coding sequences) genomes. The bat SaV (BtSaV) strains from this study formed five distinct lineages of which four represented novel genogroups. BtSaV lineages clustered mainly according to bat families, which might suggest a likely virus-host-specific evolution. The BtSaV VP1 capsid protein structure prediction confirmed three main domains (S, P1, and P2) as reported for Human SaV (HuSaV). We found that the P2 subdomain of the VP1 protein contains a degree of homology to known immunoreactive epitopes suggesting these conserved regions may be valuable for diagnostics or medical countermeasure development. This study expands our understanding of reservoir hosts, provides information on the genetic diversity and continuous evolution of SaVs in bats.

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Publication Details

Journal
EMI Animal & Environment
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/29986990.2025.2503155
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.40

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article

Identification and genomic characterisation of known and novel highly divergent sapoviruses in frugivorous and insectivorous bats in Nigeria

Lander De Coninck, Richard Ayomide Adeleke, Jens B. Bosse, Anise Happi et al.
1 citations
EMI Animal & Environment
Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
1.40
article

Identification and genomic characterisation of known and novel highly divergent sapoviruses in frugivorous and insectivorous bats in Nigeria

Lander De Coninck, Richard Ayomide Adeleke, Jens B. Bosse, Anise Happi, Scott C. Weaver, Timothy K. Soh, Temitope O. C. Faleye, Tomiwa Olumide Adesoji, Isaac Komolafe, Robert W. Cross, Andrew M. Adamu, Adeniyi T. Adeyanju, O.A. Sowemimo, Uwem E. George, Joshua Kamani, Onikepe Folarin, Johnson Adekunle Adeniji, Moses Olubusuyi Adewumi, Joseph Igbokwe, Arthur O. Oragwa, Oluwadamilola George, Philomena Eromon, Christian Tientcha Happi
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Sapovirus (SaV) infections have been linked with moderate-to-severe acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in animals and humans and represent a significant risk to public health. SaVs from animals including pigs, chimpanzees, and rodents have been reported to be closely related with human SaVs, indicating the possibility of cross-species transmission. Divergent SaVs have been reported in various bat species across various continents including Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa. However, little is known about the evolutionary history of SaVs across various bat species and their zoonotic potential. In this report, we describe the findings of a surveillance study across various bat species in Nigeria. Samples were pooled and subjected to metagenomics sequencing and analyses. Nine of 57 sample pools (containing 223 rectal swabs from five bat species) had SaV reads from which we assembled a total of four complete and three near-complete (having complete coding sequences) genomes. The bat SaV (BtSaV) strains from this study formed five distinct lineages of which four represented novel genogroups. BtSaV lineages clustered mainly according to bat families, which might suggest a likely virus-host-specific evolution. The BtSaV VP1 capsid protein structure prediction confirmed three main domains (S, P1, and P2) as reported for Human SaV (HuSaV). We found that the P2 subdomain of the VP1 protein contains a degree of homology to known immunoreactive epitopes suggesting these conserved regions may be valuable for diagnostics or medical countermeasure development. This study expands our understanding of reservoir hosts, provides information on the genetic diversity and continuous evolution of SaVs in bats.

EMI Animal & EnvironmentVol. 1(1)
Ekiti State University (NG), Harvard University (US), University of Jos (NG), University of Ibadan (NG), Cornell University (US), Rega Institute for Medical Research (BE), Redeemer's University (NG), Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AU), Adekunle Ajasin University (NG), Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (DE), New York State College of Veterinary Medicine (US), Centre for Structural Systems Biology (DE), National Veterinary Research Institute (NG), Institute of Virology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Obafemi Awolowo University (NG), The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (US), Arizona State University (US), University of Abuja (NG), James Cook University (AU), KU Leuven (BE)
Rockefeller Foundation, International Society for Infectious Diseases, World Bank Group, Wellcome Trust, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, National Institutes of Health
Openalex Percentile: Top 21%
Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
1.40
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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