Produção Nacional
Revisado por pares
Coronaviruses in Brazilian bats: A matter of concern?
2020; Public Library of Science; Volume: 14; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1371/journal.pntd.0008820
ISSN1935-2735
AutoresSamuel Paulo Cibulski, Francisco Esmaile Sales Lima, Paulo Michel Roehe,
Tópico(s)SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
ResumoAccording to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Brazil is the most biologically diverse country in the world.It is estimated that Brazil hosts between 15% and 20% of the Earth's biological diversity, with the greatest number of endemic species on a global scale.Taking into account its wide natural diversity, Brazil suffers from serious environmental troubles.These problems, such as deforestation-leading to fragmentation and loss of habitats and overexploitation of plants, animals, and monoculture by agribusiness-are the main threats to Brazilian biodiversity [1].Despite the plenteousness of legislation aiming protection and preservation of the natural environment, the continuing destruction of biomes is still an ongoing matter of concern [2].The invasion of natural ecosystems facilitates the contact between people, domestic animals, and wildlife populations.Indigenous, isolated populations are at increasing risk of acquiring infectious agents to which they have not been previously exposed.The currently ongoing pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) plus the past outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have once more highlighted (flipped the coin to reveal) how devastating and life threatening viral infections could be.Multiple lines of evidence support an evolutionary origin for all human coronaviruses (CoV) from wild hosts, especially bats, which, due to its extraordinary adaptability to different niches, host a variety of microorganisms.Given the proper occasion, genetic diversity will play its part in evolution and eventually give rise to infectious agents, which could jump to a different animal species with unpredictable consequences.Bats are known to be reservoirs of a number of viruses with the potential to cause serious human diseases, including rabies, Ebola, Nipah, and the currently pandemic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2.There is a consensus that the question is not "if" novel zoonotic viruses will rise but "when."Currently, 2 to 3 novel RNA viruses are discovered every year; RNA viruses are the most common class of pathogens behind new human diseases [3].Central and South America are considered world hotspots for the emergence of new mammalian viral zoonoses [4].Brazil is a country of continental dimensions and home to an immense biodiversity and with more than 200 million inhabitants; with ecosystems constantly threatened by degradation, plus human and wildlife in close contact in several locations, these facilitate jumps of infectious agents between species.Brazil is the country with the greatest diversity of mammals, with approximately 700 species, of which about 25% are bats [5].At least 178 species of bats have been identified in
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