Bats, critical reservoirs of viruses with significant cross-species spillover risks, have long been understudied in the Indochina Peninsula. A study led by researchers from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, and their partners has unveiled the region's bat virome diversity, offering key insights into the origins of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and critical surveillance priorities.
From 2020 to 2024, the team analyzed 659 samples from 197 bats across 16 species using next-generation sequencing (NGS). They identified 137 viral strains across 27 families, including 40 novel species. Rhinolophidae bats from China's Yunnan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region provinces exhibited the highest viral diversity, with 13 viral families and MERS-like coronaviruses. In contrast, Cambodian bats harbored viruses that were evolutionarily distant from known strains.
A notable discovery was a PEDV-related virus in Cambodian Chaerephon plicatus bats. This virus (CB_Mo.plicatus_PEDV-like_1) shared 90.36% genome homology with the PEDV CV777 strain and displayed a recombinant structure, combining suid-adapted ORF1ab and bat-adapted Spike genes. This finding further strengthens the evidence of bats as the potential evolutionary source of PEDV. Recombination analysis of 18 sequences revealed mosaicism in 16, with five regions showing no breakpoints (BFRs), emphasizing the frequency of viral genetic exchange.
Deep learning models further highlighted host adaptation risks. The ORF1ab of the PEDV-related virus showed a preference for suids (pigs), while its Spike gene favored bats, raising concerns about potential spillover if mutations occur.
"Our findings underscore critical surveillance gaps," said corresponding author Yigang Tong. "The unique ecology of the Indochina Peninsula drives viral diversity and recombination. We call for enhanced cross-border 'One Health' initiatives targeting bat-human interfaces and recombination hotspots to prevent future zoonotic outbreaks."
About Author
Yigang Tong holds a BSc in Genetics from Fudan University, an M.S. in Medical Genetics and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS) in China. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, from 2003 to 2005, where he received the Michael Smith Award.
He served as research scientist at the General Hospital of Beijing Military Region from 1991 to 1997. From 2005 to 2018, he worked as a Professor at AMMS. He served as Dean of the College of Life Science and Technology at Beijing University of Chemical Technology from 2018 onwards.
Tong has made pioneering contributions to virology, especially in the fields of virus evolution, antiviral drug development, and phage therapy. He identified cepharanthine, a component of traditional Chinese medicine, as a potent broad-spectrum antiviral agent against coronaviruses. In phage research, he developed innovative bioinformatics methods for phage genome terminal identification and functional prophage detection in bacterial genomes.
His current research interests focus on virology, antiviral drugs, vaccines, bacteriophage, and bioinformatics, with an emphasis on addressing global challenges posed by emerging infectious diseases and drug-resistant bacteria. He has published over 500 papers in peer-reviewed international journals, including Nature, PNAS, and Lancet Infectious Diseases, with more than 370 indexed in SCI. His study on Ebola virus evolution, published in Nature, was named one of the "Top 10 Scientific Advances in China" in 2015.
