A Novel <i>Nobecovirus</i> in an <i>Epomophorus wahlbergi</i> Bat from Nairobi, Kenya.

ABSTRACT: Most human emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, originating in animal hosts prior to spillover to humans. Prioritizing the surveillance of wildlife that overlaps with humans and human activities can increase the likelihood of detecting viruses with a high potential for human infection. Here, we obtained fecal swabs from two fruit bat species-Eidolon helvum (n = 6) and Epomophorus wahlbergi (n = 43) (family Pteropodidae)-in peridomestic habitats in Nairobi, Kenya, and used metagenome sequencing to detect microorganisms. A near-complete genome of a novel virus assigned taxonomically to the Coronaviridae family Betacoronavirus genus and Nobecovirus subclade was characterized from E. wahlbergi. Phylogenetic analysis indicates this u

SUBMITTER: VanAcker MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12031378 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature