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A preprint abstract from biorxiv.org discusses the detection and characterization of a novel astrovirus in Malagasy fruit bats. Bats are known to host a variety of viruses, some of which can pose a public health risk. Astroviruses, a group of viruses with potential for zoonotic transfer, have been found in bats with significant prevalence and diversity. This study used metagenomic Next Generation Sequencing (mNGS) to detect astroviruses in three species of Madagascar fruit bats, resulting in the identification of numerous partial sequences and one near-full length astrovirus sequence. The findings suggest that bats are important hosts for astroviruses and provide insights into the evolutionary history of bat astroviruses in the Southwest Indian Ocean region. [Extracted from the article]