Title : Molecular detection and charcterization of protoparvoviruses in bats and lion in Ibadan, Nigeria
Abstract:
Protoparvoviruses are a diverse genus of small, non-enveloped, single stranded DNA viruses in the Parvovirinae subfamily of the virus family Parvoviridae. Three of the fifteen member species of this genus have been associated with human infections, while some others infect domesticated animals. Parvoviruses are ubiquitous in nature and they possess a diverse host range. Mammalian parvoviruses are potential zoonotic agents, especially if they make incursions with the right mutations into the human ecosystem. As such, there is the need to constantly monitor the parvoviruses circulating in mammals in order to further elucidate the viral diversity, evolution and host-virus interactions. .Bats are known to harbor a diverse array of viruses, including several that are highly pathogenic in humans.
Fecal samples were collected from eleven Fruit Bats (Eidolon helvum) and one lion at the Zoological Garden, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. DNA were extracted from the samples using the QiagenTM DNA extraction Kit. A 350 bp portion of the VP2 gene was amplified in order to detect the presence and determine the species of protoparvovirus present. The amplicons were purified and sequenced. The sequences obtained were analysed.
Five of the twelve samples were positive, with the expected band size of 350 bp, four of these were from bats while the only sample from a lion was also positive, The nucleotide sequence analysis confirmed the presence of canine parvovirus in all the samples, with some nucleotide mutations noted. Multiple sequence alignment revealed mutations at positions G4A, A18T, G36A and G 207A in the bat samples while the lion sample showed mutations at positions G4A, A18T and G207A.
