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Abstract
Bats are reservoir hosts for a number of coronaviruses, some of which may pose spillover risks for humans and other animals. We detected two alphacoronaviruses in big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) in Ontario, Canada. These viruses are closely related to other coronaviruses circulating in bats in North America and also distantly related to human and swine coronaviruses. We found high similarity in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) in viruses derived from the same species of bat, but markedly lower in those derived from other species. We also functionally characterized the accessory protein ORF3 finding that ORF3 inhibited both IFNβ production and signaling. Our study provides insights into coronavirus diversity in bats in a previously under-sampled region. This work provides a baseline for in-depth surveillance to characterize the transmission dynamics of endemic coronaviruses in free-ranging wildlife, and for exploring the evolutionary relationships between coronaviruses and their hosts.
Details
Title
High host specificity of alphacoronaviruses in Nearctic, insectivorous bats
Author
Kotwa, Jonathon D. 1 ; Bhuinya, Arkadeb 2 ; Yim, Winfield 3 ; Gallo, Giulia 4 ; Singh, Pahul 5 ; Liu, Qiang 6 ; Kumar, Anil 7 ; Chien, Emily 3 ; Hou, Aaron 3 ; Chee, Hsien-Yao 3 ; Blais-Savoie, Juliette 3 ; Yip, Lily 3 ; Von Zuben, Valerie 8 ; Wouters, K. Aidan 9 ; Misra, Vikram 10 ; Lung, Oliver 11 ; Bailey, Dalan 4 ; Maguire, Finlay 12 ; Banerjee, Arinjay 13 ; Mubareka, Samira 14 ; Davy, Christina M. 15
1 Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada (ISNI:0000 0004 0469 1398)
2 University of Saskatchewan, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X); University of Saskatchewan, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
3 Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 0469 1398)
4 The Pirbright Institute, Guildford, UK (GRID:grid.63622.33) (ISNI:0000 0004 0388 7540)
5 University of Saskatchewan, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
6 University of Saskatchewan, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X); University of Saskatchewan, School of Public Health, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
7 University of Saskatchewan, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
8 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Peterborough, Canada (GRID:grid.238133.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0453 4165)
9 Carleton University, Department of Biology, Ottawa, Canada (GRID:grid.34428.39) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 893X)
10 University of Saskatchewan, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
11 Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, Canada (GRID:grid.418040.9) (ISNI:0000 0001 2177 1232); University of Manitoba Department of Biological Sciences, Winnipeg, Canada (GRID:grid.21613.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9609)
12 Dalhousie University, Faculty of Computer Science, Halifax, Canada (GRID:grid.55602.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8200); Dalhousie University, Institute for Comparative Genomics, Halifax, Canada (GRID:grid.55602.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8200); Dalhousie University, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Halifax, Canada (GRID:grid.55602.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8200)
13 University of Saskatchewan, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X); University of Saskatchewan, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X); University of British Columbia, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver, Canada (GRID:grid.17091.3e) (ISNI:0000 0001 2288 9830); University of Toronto, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.17063.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 2157 2938)
14 Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.17063.33) (ISNI:0000 0004 0469 1398); University of Toronto, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.17063.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 2157 2938)
15 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Peterborough, Canada (GRID:grid.238133.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0453 4165); Carleton University, Department of Biology, Ottawa, Canada (GRID:grid.34428.39) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 893X); Trent University, Department of Biology, Peterborough, Canada (GRID:grid.52539.38) (ISNI:0000 0001 1090 2022)
1 Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada (ISNI:0000 0004 0469 1398)
2 University of Saskatchewan, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X); University of Saskatchewan, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
3 Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 0469 1398)
4 The Pirbright Institute, Guildford, UK (GRID:grid.63622.33) (ISNI:0000 0004 0388 7540)
5 University of Saskatchewan, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
6 University of Saskatchewan, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X); University of Saskatchewan, School of Public Health, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
7 University of Saskatchewan, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
8 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Peterborough, Canada (GRID:grid.238133.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0453 4165)
9 Carleton University, Department of Biology, Ottawa, Canada (GRID:grid.34428.39) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 893X)
10 University of Saskatchewan, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X)
11 Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Winnipeg, Canada (GRID:grid.418040.9) (ISNI:0000 0001 2177 1232); University of Manitoba Department of Biological Sciences, Winnipeg, Canada (GRID:grid.21613.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9609)
12 Dalhousie University, Faculty of Computer Science, Halifax, Canada (GRID:grid.55602.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8200); Dalhousie University, Institute for Comparative Genomics, Halifax, Canada (GRID:grid.55602.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8200); Dalhousie University, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Halifax, Canada (GRID:grid.55602.34) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8200)
13 University of Saskatchewan, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X); University of Saskatchewan, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Canada (GRID:grid.25152.31) (ISNI:0000 0001 2154 235X); University of British Columbia, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver, Canada (GRID:grid.17091.3e) (ISNI:0000 0001 2288 9830); University of Toronto, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.17063.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 2157 2938)
14 Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.17063.33) (ISNI:0000 0004 0469 1398); University of Toronto, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.17063.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 2157 2938)
15 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Peterborough, Canada (GRID:grid.238133.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0453 4165); Carleton University, Department of Biology, Ottawa, Canada (GRID:grid.34428.39) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 893X); Trent University, Department of Biology, Peterborough, Canada (GRID:grid.52539.38) (ISNI:0000 0001 1090 2022)
Pages
38
Publication year
2025
Publication date
Dec 2025
e-ISSN
29481767
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3225863409
Copyright
Copyright Nature Publishing Group Dec 2025