Detection and Characterization of a Novel Norovirus in Bats,China

Noroviruses (NoVs) are second only to the rotaviruses as etiologic agents of acute fulminant gastroenteritis in infants and young children worldwide. While only one species is currently recognized within the genus Norovirus, molecular epidemiological studies have demonstrated a marked genetic diversity among circulating NoVs. NoVs have been detected in a number of mammalian species, but only one sequence of bat-borne NoV, from China, has been recorded in Genbank. In this study, we performed NoV screening in 178 adult bats collected from Fujian province, southeast China, and found that 2 bats were positive for this virus. One such sample (NPIH26) was chosen to amplify the whole genome; genomic comparison showed that it possessed a genomic organization typical of noroviruses, and shared the highest nt identity (73%) with the bat NoV BtRs-CalV/YN2010 identified in Rhinolophus sinicus from Yunnan, China. Accordingly, it can be considered as comprising a new genogroup, GVII. This study may help our understanding of evolutionary origins of this virus.