Rooting the phylogenetic tree of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus by characterization of a conspecific virus from an African bat
Date
2014-10
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Abstract
The emerging Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes lethal respiratory infections mainly on the
Arabian Peninsula. The evolutionary origins of MERS-CoV are unknown. We determined the full genome sequence of a CoV
directly from fecal material obtained from a South African Neoromicia capensis bat (NeoCoV). NeoCoV shared essential details
of genome architecture with MERS-CoV. Eighty-five percent of the NeoCoV genome was identical to MERS-CoV at the nucleotide
level. Based on taxonomic criteria, NeoCoV and MERS-CoV belonged to one viral species. The presence of a genetically divergent
S1 subunit within the NeoCoV spike gene indicated that intraspike recombination events may have been involved in the
emergence of MERS-CoV. NeoCoV constitutes a sister taxon of MERS-CoV, placing the MERS-CoV root between a recently described
virus from African camels and all other viruses. This suggests a higher level of viral diversity in camels than in humans.
Together with serologic evidence for widespread MERS-CoV infection in camelids sampled up to 20 years ago in Africa and the
Arabian Peninsula, the genetic data indicate that camels act as sources of virus for humans rather than vice versa. The majority
of camels on the Arabian Peninsula is imported from the Greater Horn of Africa, where several Neoromicia species occur. The
acquisition of MERS-CoV by camels from bats might have taken place in sub-Saharan Africa. Camelids may represent mixing
vessels for MERS-CoV and other mammalian CoVs.
Description
CITATION: Corman, V. M. et al. 2014. Rooting the phylogenetic tree of middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus by characterization of a conspecific virus from an African bat. Journal of Virology. 88(19):11297-303. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01498-14.
The original publication is available at http://jvi.asm.org
The original publication is available at http://jvi.asm.org
Keywords
Coronavirus infections, Coronaviruses, Bats -- Phylogeny
Citation
Corman, V. M. et al. 2014. Rooting the phylogenetic tree of middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus by characterization of a conspecific virus from an African bat. Journal of Virology. 88(19):11297-303. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01498-14.