© 2018 American Society for Microbiology. The emergence of Middle East respiratory syndrome showed once again that coronaviruses (Co. Vs) in animals are potential source for epidemics in humans. To explore the diversity of deltacoronaviruses in animals in the Middle East, we tested fecal samples from 1,356 mammals and birds in Dubai, The United Arab Emirates. Four novel deltacoronaviruses were detected from eight birds of four species by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR): Fal. CoV UAE-HKU27 from a falcon, Hou. CoV UAE-HKU28 from a houbara bustard, Pi. CoV UAE-HKU29 from a pigeon, and Qua. CoV UAE-HKU30 from five quails. Complete genome sequencing showed that Fal. CoV UAE-HKU27, Hou. CoV UAE-HKU28, and Pi. CoV UAEHKU29 belong to the same CoV species, suggesting recent interspecies transmission between falcons and their prey, houbara bustards and pigeons, possibly along the food chain. Western blotting detected specific anti-Fal. CoV UAE-HKU27 antibodies in 33 (75%) of 44 falcon serum samples, supporting genuine infection in falcons after virus acquisition. Qua. CoV UAE-HKU30 belongs to the same CoV species as porcine coronavirus HKU15 (Por. CoV HKU15) and sparrow coronavirus HKU17 (Sp. CoV HKU17), discovered previously from swine and tree sparrows, respectively, supporting avian-to-swine transmission. Recombination involving the spike protein is common among deltacoronaviruses, which may facilitate crossspecies transmission. Fal. CoV UAE-HKU27, Hou. CoV UAE-HKU28, and Pi. CoV UAEHKU29 originated from recombination between white-eye coronavirus HKU16 (WECoV HKU16) and magpie robin coronavirus HKU18 (MRCoV HKU18), Qua. CoV UAE-HKU30 from recombination between Por. CoV HKU15/Sp. CoV HKU17 and munia coronavirus HKU13 (Mun. CoV HKU13), and Por. CoV HKU15 from recombination between Sp. CoV HKU17 and bulbul coronavirus HKU11 (Bu. CoV HKU11). Birds in the Middle East are hosts for diverse deltacoronaviruses with potential for interspecies transmission.
download 🔖 [BibTeX]