Abstract Most human emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic , originating in animal hosts prior to spillover to humans . Prioritizing the surveillance of wildlife that overlaps with humans and human activities can increase the likelihood of detecting viruses with a high potential for human infection. Here, we obtained fecal swabs from two fruit bat species —Eidolon helvum (n = 6) and Epomophorus wahlbergi (n = 43) (family Pteropodidae)— in peridomestic habitats in Nairobi, Kenya , and used metagenome sequencing to detect microorganisms. A near-complete genome of a novel virus assigned taxonomically to the Coronaviridae family Betacoronavirus genus and Nobecovirus subclade was characterized from E. wahlbergi. Phylogenetic analysis indicates this unique Nobecovirus clade shares a common ancestor with Eidolon/Rousettus Nobecovirus subclades isolated from Madagascar, Kenya, and Cameroon . Recombination was detected across open reading frames, except the spike protein, in all BOOTSCAN ana...
Media Monitoring for Signals about Emerging Threats