Novel Betaherpesviruses in Neotropical Bats on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts: First Report from Antillean Tree Bats (Ardops nichollsi) and Evidence for Cross-Species Transmission.

ABSTRACT: To date, limited information is available on herpesviruses in bats from the Caribbean region. We report here high detection rates (24.24%, n = 66) of herpesviruses in oral samples from apparently healthy bats (Ardops nichollsi (75%, 9/12) and Molossus molossus (28%, 7/25)) on the Lesser Antillean Island of St. Kitts. Based on analysis of partial DNA polymerase (DPOL) sequences (~225 amino acid (aa) residues), we identified two distinct groups of herpesviruses (BO-I and -II) that were unique to A. nichollsi and M. molossus, respectively. Within the subfamily Betaherpesvirinae, the BO-I DPOL sequences shared low deduced aa identities (<70%) with other herpesviruses, and phylogenetically, they formed a distinct cluster, representing a putative novel betaherp

SUBMITTER: Kulberg JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11677976 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature