Publications by authors named "Andre Witt"

Desmodus rotundus bats are the main reservoir for Lyssavirus rabies (RABV) in the Americas, however, knowledge of virus-host interactions in this species is very limited due to challenges associated with establishing in vivo experimental infections. In this context, cell culture becomes a valuable tool for expanding knowledge on the dynamics of RABV infection in its natural host in the Americas. This study aimed to develop and characterize a cell line from D.

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Bats are mammals with high biodiversity and wide geographical range. In Brazil, three haematophagous bat species are found. is the most documented due to its role as a primary host of rabies virus in Latin America.

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Bat-borne viruses may affect public health and the global economy. These mammals have a wide geographical distribution and unique biological, physiological, and immunogenic characteristics, allowing the dissemination of many known and unknown viruses. Enteric viruses, such as adeno (AdV) and rotaviruses, are recognized as the main causative agents of disease and outbreaks.

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Cattle are the main hosts of Rhipicephalus microplus; however, this ixodid can also parasitize other animal species. We collected a specimen of R. microplus larvae from one bat Molossus rufus (Mammalia, Chiroptera) from the Cachoeirinha municipality (29° 56' 52'' S and 51° 5' 43'' W), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

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This study aimed to detect the occurrence of infection by Leishmania spp.in bats from 34 municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul state (RS; southern Brazil) from 2016 to 2021. A total of 109 bats were provided by the Centro Estadual de Vigilância em Saúde of RS, including six species belonged to Molossidae family, six to Vespertilionidae family, and two to Phyllostomidae family.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi) is the rarest vampire bat species in the Neotropical region and primarily feeds on bird blood, but little is known about the viruses affecting it.
  • - This study used high-throughput sequencing to analyze various organs from these bats, identifying 13 viral genomes, including those related to gemykrogvirus, smacovirus, and torque teno viruses, as well as sequences of bat paramyxovirus.
  • - The findings enhance understanding of the viral diversity linked to white-winged vampire bats and establish a reference point for future research on viral outbreaks in these animals.
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The vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is a haematophagous animal that feeds exclusively on the blood of domestic mammals. Vampire bat feeding habits enable their contact with mammalian hosts and may enhance zoonotic spillover. Moreover, they may carry several pathogenic organisms, including coronaviruses (CoVs), for which they are important hosts.

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In this study, we analyzed the viral population in oropharyngeal samples from T. brasiliensis using a viral metagenomic approach. Genomes corresponding to members of the families Circoviridae, Genomoviridae, Herpesviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Coronaviridae, and Astroviridae were detected.

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Article Synopsis
  • The sylvatic cycle of rabies, caused by Rabies lyssavirus, is sustained by wild mammals in the Americas, and the study focuses on surveillance in southern Brazil, where wild animals have bitten humans.
  • Researchers combined passive and active surveillance methods to identify rabies virus exposure in wild mammals, specifically looking at unvaccinated animals in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina states.
  • Findings revealed that 5% of the 100 mammals tested had rabies virus neutralizing antibodies, indicating exposure to the virus, and suggested that primates and wild canids in this region may have been exposed without showing severe symptoms.
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This report describes the identification and characterization of a novel circovirus using metagenomic approaches in respiratory fluid samples from Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis). The genome and deduced protein sequences share low identity with another circovirus recovered in distantly related bats from China.

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Two novel genomes comprising ≈4.9 kb were identified by next-generation sequencing from pooled organs of Tadarida brasiliensis bats. The overall nucleotide sequence identities between the viral genomes characterized here were less than 80% in comparison to other polyomaviruses (PyVs), members of the family Polyomaviridae.

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