Abstract:
Bats are associated with some of the most significant and virulent emerging zoonoses globally, yet research and surveillance of bat pathogens remains limited across
parts of the world. We surveyed the prevalence and genetic diversity of coronaviruses from bats in Taita Hills, southeastern Kenya, as part of ongoing surveillance
efforts in this remote part of eastern Africa. We collected fecal and intestinal samples
in May 2018 and March 2019 from 16 bat species. We detected one genus of coronavirus (alphacoronavirus), with an overall RNA prevalence of 6.5% (30/463). The prevalence of coronavirus RNA was 3.8% (9/235) and 11.6% (21/181) for the two most
captured free-tailed bat species, Mops condylurus and M. pumilus respectively, with
no detections from other bat species (0/90). Phylogenetic analyses based on the partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene and whole genome sequences revealed
that the sequences clustered together and were closely related to alphacoronavirus
detected in free tailed bats in Eswatini, Nigeria and Rhinolophus simulator bats in
South Africa. The sequences were more distantly related to alphacoronavirus isolated
from Chaerophon plicatus bat species in Yunnan province, China and Ozimops species from southwestern Australia. These findings highlight coronavirus transmission
among bats that share habitats with humans and livestock, posing a potential risk
of exposure. Future research should investigate whether coronaviruses detected in
these bats have the potential to spillover to other hosts.
