Wild birds as reservoirs for diverse and abundant gamma- and deltacoronaviruses.

ABSTRACT: Wild birds interconnect all parts of the globe through annual cycles of migration with little respect for country or continental borders. Although wild birds are reservoir hosts for a high diversity of gamma- and deltacoronaviruses, we have little understanding of the ecology or evolution of any of these viruses. In this review, we use genome sequence and ecological data to disentangle the evolution of coronaviruses in wild birds. Specifically, we explore host range at the levels of viral genus and species, and reveal the multi-host nature of many viral species, albeit with biases to certain types of avian host. We conclude that it is currently challenging to infer viral ecology due to major sampling and technical limitations, and suggest that improved assay performance across the breadth

SUBMITTER: Wille M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7454673 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature