Betaherpesvirus sequencing and qPCR on Peruvian vampire bat saliva samples.xlsx

Rabies virus is a zoonosis of concern, transmitted by the common vampire
bat Desmodus rotundus, across Latin America. A herpesvirus of these
bats, Desmodus rotundus betaherpesvirus (DrBHV) shows promise as a
candidate for further study as a transmissible vaccine viral vector
against vampire bat transmitted rabies virus. In this study, the authors
use deep sequencing to investigate the circulating strains of DrBHV and
aimed to answer several unresolved questions which underpin the
biological suitability of DrBHV as a viral vector, how it could be
deployed to natural populations, and the extent that vaccine spread
would be predictable: (1) Do individual DrBHV strains reach sufficient
prevalence and geographic range to plausibly dampen rabies transmission
and is the geographic distribution of strains predictable?; (2) Are
determinants of strain specific prevalence consistent with weak
competition among strains? and (3) Do patterns of viral acquisition and
viral genetic diversity within individual bats support superinfection
and the of latency and reactivation dynamics expected for
betaherpesviruses? The data set includes the sampling information of
Peruvian vampire bat saliva samples, sequenced for the presence and
strain identification of Desmodus rotundus betaherpesvirus.

Ethical
approval: All capture and sampling of bats was approved by the Research
Ethics Committee of the University of Glasgow School of Medical,
Veterinary and Life Sciences (Ref081/15) and by the University of
Georgia Animal Care and Use Committee (A2014 04-016-Y3-A5). Field
collections were authorized by the Peruvian government
(RD‐009‐2015‐SERFOR‐DGGSPFFS, RD‐264‐2015 SERFOR‐DGGSPFFS, RD‐142‐2015‐
SERFOR‐DGGSPFFS, RD‐054‐2016‐SERFOR‐DGGSPFFS).

Vampire bats
were captured between 2013 and 2018 at 23 colonies across 8
administrative regions (Amazonas, Apurímac, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Cusco,
Huánuco, Lima, and Loreto) of Peru. Bats were captured using mist nets
and harp traps, then placed in individual cloth bags before processing
and sampling. Bats were aged as juvenile, sub-adult or adult by
observation of the epiphyseal–diaphyseal fusion; sex and reproductive
status were also recorded. Saliva swab samples were collected by
allowing bats to chew on sterile cotton‐tipped wooden swabs
(Fisherbrand) for 10s.