Dados do Trabalho

Título

Active epidemiological surveillance of potentially zoonotic viral diseases: detection of Adenoviridae and Coronaviridae in bats and snakes from the states of Bahia and Pernambuco

Introdução

In recent years, humanity has been challenged by highly morbid and deadly infectious diseases.

Objetivo (s)

To assess the presence of two viral families with high pandemic potential, conventional PCR and RT-PCR techniques were employed, using primers targeted at conserved regions of the Pol genes of the Adenoviridae and Coronaviridae families.

Material e Métodos

For this purpose, mammals and snakes from municipalities in the states of Bahia and Pernambuco had blood, tissue, oral swabs, and rectal swabs collected and stored at -80°C until nucleic acid extraction, which was performed using commercial kits in a semi-automated system.

Resultados e Conclusão

Out of the 114 mammal samples examined, 27 (23.68%; 95% CI: 16.83-32.29) tested positive for Adenovirus (AdV) cDNA, and one (1.92%; 95% CI: 0.46-10.07) tested positive for Coronavirus (CoV) cDNA, with the positive cases for AdV and CoV only observed in bats. These animals were from 24 different locations, with a higher frequency of positive cases for AdV found in Santo Amaro (3.70%; 95% CI: 0.87-18.35), Salvador (21.43%; 95% CI: 7.79-48.09), and Feira de Santana (47.37%; 95% CI: 32.42-62.82). Among the evaluated bat species, AdV was more frequent in insectivorous bats: Eumops auripendulus (50.00%; 95% CI: 18.40-81.59) and Molossus molossus (37.84%; 95% CI: 24.04-54.01). The CoV-positive bat was from the urban area of Feira de Santana and was collected in 2019, before the onset of COVID-19. Out of the 228 snake samples evaluated, 14 (6.14%; 95% CI: 3.71-10.04) tested positive for AdV, with positive cases found in the species Bothrops leucurus (20.00%; 95% CI: 6.02-51.78) and Crotalus durissus cascavella (7.59%; 95% CI: 4.32-13.08), and a higher frequency of positive cases among animals born in CCAPH-UEFS, located in the municipality of Feira de Santana (5.13%; 95% CI: 1.57-16.92), with a higher percentage for the municipality of Itaberaba (15.38%; 95% CI: 4.67-42.81). CoV was detected in 29 (14.22%; 95% CI: 9.73-19.77) out of the 204 snake samples tested, with a higher frequency in C. durissus cascavella (17.93%; 95% CI: 43.23-71.06) and samples from CCAPH-UEFS (20.51%; 95% CI: 10.84-35.65). These preliminary results demonstrate the occurrence of potentially zoonotic viruses in wildlife, and further investigation of the involved gene sequences may clarify the risk of spillover and emergence of potentially epidemic pathogens.

Palavras-chave

Wild animals, bats, Coronavirud, Adenovirus

Agradecimentos

FAPESB, SESAB