Novel hantavirus identified in black-bearded tomb bats, China

Highlights • The full genome sequence of a bat hantavirus was determined. • It provides reference data for determining bat hantavirus’ full genomes. • Genomic analysis shows that it is distantly related to all known bat hantaviruses.
Hantaviruses cause life-threatening diseases in human worldwide. Rodents, insectivores and bats are known hantaviral reservoirs, but lack of complete genomic sequences of bat-borne hantaviruses impedes phylogenetic and evolutionary comparison with those of rodents and insectivores. Here, a novel bat-borne hantavirus, Laibin virus (LBV), has been identified in a black-bearded tomb bat in China. The complete genomic sequence shows that LBV is only distantly related to all previously known bat-borne hantaviruses.