Virus biology, host ecology, and human behaviour as determinants for coronaviral zoonoses

SARS流行后在中国进行的研究已经在蝙蝠（翼翅目）中发现了多种冠状病毒，这意味着这种物种哺乳动物是所有已知冠状病毒最有可能的起源和宿主。除了冠状病毒外，人们越来越认识到蝙蝠携带高致病性病毒，包括丝状病毒（埃博拉病毒和马尔堡病毒）、亨尼帕病毒（亨德拉病毒和尼帕病毒）和溶血病毒（狂犬病和相关病毒）。今天，我们不知道蝙蝠传播的病毒是如何传播给人类的。人们对病毒在蝙蝠体内的维持和扩增知之甚少。此外，阻止宿主切换的分子屏障尚不清楚。在这个项目中，我们希望通过德国和加纳的紧密合作，使用冠状病毒模型，研究蝙蝠的病毒库功能以及蝙蝠和人类之间的物种屏障。我们对物种屏障的工作概念是由生态和病毒学两部分组成的。我们希望确定影响蝙蝠的因素，这些因素决定了水库传播的冠状病毒的丰度和多样性，表征生态物种障碍并确定潜在的蝙蝠到人的传播途径，并开发一种水库传播病毒的实验风险评估方法，重点关注它们进入人类细胞和绕过人类干扰素防御的能力。通过这个项目，我们将加强德国和加纳病毒学和生态学之间的合作，并改善我们合作机构的预科和研究生科学家的科学环境。

Studies conducted in China in the aftermath of the SARS epidemic have identified diverse Coronaviruses in bats (Chiroptera), implicating this speciose mammalian order as the most likely origin and reservoir of all known coronaviruses. In addition to Coronaviruses, bats are increasingly recognized to harbor highly pathogenic viruses, including Filoviruses (Ebola- and Marburgvirus), Henipaviruses (Hendra- and Nipahvirus), and Lyssaviruses (Rabies and related viruses). Today we have no idea how transmission of bat-borne viruses to humans may occur. Little is known about the maintenance and amplification of viruses in bats. Furthermore, the molecular barriers against host switching are obscure. In this project we want to investigate in a tight German-Ghanaian collaboration the virus reservoir function of bats and the species barrier between bats and humans, using a Coronavirus model. Our working concept of the species barrier is two-partite, consisting of an ecological and a viroiogical component. We want to determine influence factors on bats that determine abundance and diversity of reservoir-borne Coronaviruses, to characterise ecological species barriers and Identify potential bat-to-human transmission pathways, and to develop an approach to experimental risk assessment of reservoir-borne viruses, focusing on their ability to enter human cells and to circumvent the human interferon defence. Through this project we will strengthen collaboration between Virology and Ecology in Germany and Ghana and improve the scientific environment for pre- and postgraduate scientists at our collaborating Institutions.