Discovery and sequence analysis of four deltacoronaviruses from birds in the Middle East reveal interspecies jumping with recombination as a potential mechanism for avian-to-avian and avian-to-mammalian transmission

Susanna K.P. Lau; Emily Y.M. Wong; Chi Ching Tsang; Syed Shakeel Ahmed; Rex K.H. Au-Yeung; Kwok Yung Yuen; Ulrich Wernery; Patrick C.Y. Woo

doi:10.1128/JVI.00265-18

Discovery and sequence analysis of four deltacoronaviruses from birds in the Middle East reveal interspecies jumping with recombination as a potential mechanism for avian-to-avian and avian-to-mammalian transmission

Susanna K.P. Lau, Emily Y.M. Wong, Chi Ching Tsang, Syed Shakeel Ahmed, Rex K.H. Au-Yeung, Kwok Yung Yuen, Ulrich Wernery, Patrick C.Y. Woo

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

72 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The emergence of Middle East respiratory syndrome showed once again that coronaviruses (CoVs) in animals are potential source for epidemics in humans. To explore the diversity of deltacoronaviruses in animals in the Middle East, we tested fecal samples from 1,356 mammals and birds in Dubai, The United Arab Emirates. Four novel deltacoronaviruses were detected from eight birds of four species by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR): FalCoV UAE-HKU27 from a falcon, HouCoV UAE-HKU28 from a houbara bustard, PiCoV UAE-HKU29 from a pigeon, and QuaCoV UAE-HKU30 from five quails. Complete genome sequencing showed that FalCoV UAE-HKU27, HouCoV UAE-HKU28, and PiCoV UAEHKU29 belong to the same CoV species, suggesting recent interspecies transmission between falcons and their prey, houbara bustards and pigeons, possibly along the food chain. Western blotting detected specific anti-FalCoV UAE-HKU27 antibodies in 33 (75%) of 44 falcon serum samples, supporting genuine infection in falcons after virus acquisition. QuaCoV UAE-HKU30 belongs to the same CoV species as porcine coronavirus HKU15 (PorCoV HKU15) and sparrow coronavirus HKU17 (SpCoV HKU17), discovered previously from swine and tree sparrows, respectively, supporting avian-to-swine transmission. Recombination involving the spike protein is common among deltacoronaviruses, which may facilitate crossspecies transmission. FalCoV UAE-HKU27, HouCoV UAE-HKU28, and PiCoV UAEHKU29 originated from recombination between white-eye coronavirus HKU16 (WECoV HKU16) and magpie robin coronavirus HKU18 (MRCoV HKU18), QuaCoV UAE-HKU30 from recombination between PorCoV HKU15/SpCoV HKU17 and munia coronavirus HKU13 (MunCoV HKU13), and PorCoV HKU15 from recombination between SpCoV HKU17 and bulbul coronavirus HKU11 (BuCoV HKU11). Birds in the Middle East are hosts for diverse deltacoronaviruses with potential for interspecies transmission.

Original language	English
Article number	e00265-18
Journal	Journal of Virology
Volume	92
Issue number	15
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00265-18
Publication status	Published - Aug 1 2018
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

Microbiology
Immunology
Insect Science
Virology

Keywords

Coronavirus
Deltacoronavirus
Falcon
Houbara bustard
Interspecies jumping
Middle East
Pigeon
Quail

Access to Document

10.1128/JVI.00265-18

Cite this

Lau, S. K. P., Wong, E. Y. M., Tsang, C. C., Ahmed, S. S., Au-Yeung, R. K. H., Yuen, K. Y., Wernery, U., & Woo, P. C. Y. (2018). Discovery and sequence analysis of four deltacoronaviruses from birds in the Middle East reveal interspecies jumping with recombination as a potential mechanism for avian-to-avian and avian-to-mammalian transmission. Journal of Virology, 92(15), Article e00265-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00265-18

Discovery and sequence analysis of four deltacoronaviruses from birds in the Middle East reveal interspecies jumping with recombination as a potential mechanism for avian-to-avian and avian-to-mammalian transmission. / Lau, Susanna K.P.; Wong, Emily Y.M.; Tsang, Chi Ching et al.
In: Journal of Virology, Vol. 92, No. 15, e00265-18, 01.08.2018.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Lau, SKP, Wong, EYM, Tsang, CC, Ahmed, SS, Au-Yeung, RKH, Yuen, KY, Wernery, U & Woo, PCY 2018, 'Discovery and sequence analysis of four deltacoronaviruses from birds in the Middle East reveal interspecies jumping with recombination as a potential mechanism for avian-to-avian and avian-to-mammalian transmission', Journal of Virology, vol. 92, no. 15, e00265-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00265-18

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abstract = "The emergence of Middle East respiratory syndrome showed once again that coronaviruses (CoVs) in animals are potential source for epidemics in humans. To explore the diversity of deltacoronaviruses in animals in the Middle East, we tested fecal samples from 1,356 mammals and birds in Dubai, The United Arab Emirates. Four novel deltacoronaviruses were detected from eight birds of four species by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR): FalCoV UAE-HKU27 from a falcon, HouCoV UAE-HKU28 from a houbara bustard, PiCoV UAE-HKU29 from a pigeon, and QuaCoV UAE-HKU30 from five quails. Complete genome sequencing showed that FalCoV UAE-HKU27, HouCoV UAE-HKU28, and PiCoV UAEHKU29 belong to the same CoV species, suggesting recent interspecies transmission between falcons and their prey, houbara bustards and pigeons, possibly along the food chain. Western blotting detected specific anti-FalCoV UAE-HKU27 antibodies in 33 (75%) of 44 falcon serum samples, supporting genuine infection in falcons after virus acquisition. QuaCoV UAE-HKU30 belongs to the same CoV species as porcine coronavirus HKU15 (PorCoV HKU15) and sparrow coronavirus HKU17 (SpCoV HKU17), discovered previously from swine and tree sparrows, respectively, supporting avian-to-swine transmission. Recombination involving the spike protein is common among deltacoronaviruses, which may facilitate crossspecies transmission. FalCoV UAE-HKU27, HouCoV UAE-HKU28, and PiCoV UAEHKU29 originated from recombination between white-eye coronavirus HKU16 (WECoV HKU16) and magpie robin coronavirus HKU18 (MRCoV HKU18), QuaCoV UAE-HKU30 from recombination between PorCoV HKU15/SpCoV HKU17 and munia coronavirus HKU13 (MunCoV HKU13), and PorCoV HKU15 from recombination between SpCoV HKU17 and bulbul coronavirus HKU11 (BuCoV HKU11). Birds in the Middle East are hosts for diverse deltacoronaviruses with potential for interspecies transmission.",

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AU - Ahmed, Syed Shakeel

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N2 - The emergence of Middle East respiratory syndrome showed once again that coronaviruses (CoVs) in animals are potential source for epidemics in humans. To explore the diversity of deltacoronaviruses in animals in the Middle East, we tested fecal samples from 1,356 mammals and birds in Dubai, The United Arab Emirates. Four novel deltacoronaviruses were detected from eight birds of four species by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR): FalCoV UAE-HKU27 from a falcon, HouCoV UAE-HKU28 from a houbara bustard, PiCoV UAE-HKU29 from a pigeon, and QuaCoV UAE-HKU30 from five quails. Complete genome sequencing showed that FalCoV UAE-HKU27, HouCoV UAE-HKU28, and PiCoV UAEHKU29 belong to the same CoV species, suggesting recent interspecies transmission between falcons and their prey, houbara bustards and pigeons, possibly along the food chain. Western blotting detected specific anti-FalCoV UAE-HKU27 antibodies in 33 (75%) of 44 falcon serum samples, supporting genuine infection in falcons after virus acquisition. QuaCoV UAE-HKU30 belongs to the same CoV species as porcine coronavirus HKU15 (PorCoV HKU15) and sparrow coronavirus HKU17 (SpCoV HKU17), discovered previously from swine and tree sparrows, respectively, supporting avian-to-swine transmission. Recombination involving the spike protein is common among deltacoronaviruses, which may facilitate crossspecies transmission. FalCoV UAE-HKU27, HouCoV UAE-HKU28, and PiCoV UAEHKU29 originated from recombination between white-eye coronavirus HKU16 (WECoV HKU16) and magpie robin coronavirus HKU18 (MRCoV HKU18), QuaCoV UAE-HKU30 from recombination between PorCoV HKU15/SpCoV HKU17 and munia coronavirus HKU13 (MunCoV HKU13), and PorCoV HKU15 from recombination between SpCoV HKU17 and bulbul coronavirus HKU11 (BuCoV HKU11). Birds in the Middle East are hosts for diverse deltacoronaviruses with potential for interspecies transmission.

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Discovery and sequence analysis of four deltacoronaviruses from birds in the Middle East reveal interspecies jumping with recombination as a potential mechanism for avian-to-avian and avian-to-mammalian transmission

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

Keywords

Access to Document

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