Abstract

Objective: We previously reported the co-circulation of genetically distinct hantaviruses (family Hantaviridae) in shrews and moles (order Eulipotyphla, families Soricidae and Talpidae) in central and southeastern Poland. In this exploratory study, we attempted to detect hantavirus in patagia of vesper bats (order Chiroptera, family Vespertilionidae) from Poland.

Methods: Ethanol-fixed patagia from 88 vesper bats, collected during 2013, 2014 and 2017 in northern, central and south-central Poland, were analyzed for hantavirus RNA by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Results and Discussion: Despite repeated and exhaustive attempts, using oligonucleotide primers and PCR cycling conditions that led to the discovery of bat-borne hantaviruses in Asia and Africa, we failed to detect hantavirus RNA in vesper bats from Poland, including the common noctule (Nyctalus noctula), which has recently been shown to harbora hantavirus in the Czech Republic. More extensive studies of visceral organs from bats in Poland and elsewhere in Europe are warranted to ascertain the genetic diversity and phylogeography of bat-borne hantaviruses.

Keywords: Hantaviridae; Vesper Bat; Chiroptera; Poland; RT-PCR

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Citation

Citation: Satoru Arai., et al. “Failure to detect Hantavirus in Vesper Bats in Poland". Acta Scientific Microbiology 3.2 (2020): 07-11.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2020 Satoru Arai., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.