Synthesys+ VA project SYNTH4VA1Chiroptera "COVID-19 Chiropteran knowledge base" (NHMW part)

<p>This dataset was digitised as part of the Synthesys+ Virtual Access programme
for the SYNTHVA1Chiroptera project "Covid-19 Chiroptera
knowledgebase". The data provided here are a subset of the mammal
collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna. The following summary refers
to the entire project, in which a total of seven institutions were involved
with the digitisation and publication of the desired data.</p><p>Project PI was&nbsp;Gabor Csorba from&nbsp;&nbsp;the&nbsp;Hungarian Natural History Museum.</p><p>Amidst the pandemic caused by the pathogen SARS-CoV-2, the virus’s animal origin is a critical mystery to solve. More than 200 novel coronaviruses have been found in bats so far, and cca. 35% of bat virome sequenced to date is composed of coronaviruses. But still only a fraction of the known species of the second most speciose order of mammals have been screened for viruses. Of the Coronaviridae family the most similar virus to the one which causes the recent pandemic was found in a common Southeast Asian horseshoe bat species, Rhinolophus affinis. Experts of the CETAF’s COVID-19 Taskforce have suggested to accumulate our present knowledge on the distribution, viral information and basic ecological demands not only of the horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae) but also the phylogenetically most closely related families, Hipposideridae and Rhinonycteridae. Some recent studies in viruses were not always rigorous enough to deposit the study material in publicly available collections (which, among other advantages, makes the identification testable). However, it is essential to know if material currently preserved in collections can be useful for subsequent virus studies. For this reason, a list of material (more than 20 thousand specimens of the above families estimated) housed in European collections participating in the Synthesys+ virtual access call, would be essential. The short and long run impact of unlock specimens, tissue and fluid samples, DNA extracts, as well as data associated with these bat families is immeasurable, especially considering the challenges we are facing now and at a global scale. The present proposal expects a two-fold impact 1) liberation of massive amount of crucial data and biological material to support research in bat-coronavirus-human interactions and 2) trigger a movement of public recognition of museum collections as key player in public health crises.</p>

<p>本数据集作为Synthesys+虚拟接入项目“SynthVA1翼手目知识库”的一部分而进行数字化处理。所提供的数据系维也纳自然历史博物馆哺乳动物收藏的一部分。以下摘要涉及整个项目，该项目共有七个机构参与了对所需数据的数字化与发布。</p><p>项目负责人为来自匈牙利自然历史博物馆的Gabor Csorba。</p><p>在由SARS-CoV-2病原体引起的疫情中，病毒的动物来源是亟待解开的重大谜团。迄今为止，已在蝙蝠中发现了200多种新型冠状病毒，约占已测序蝙蝠病毒组的35%。然而，仅对已知物种中第二丰富的哺乳动物目的一部分进行了病毒筛查。在冠状病毒科中，与导致近期大流行的病毒最相似的病毒被发现于一种常见的东南亚蹄蝠物种，即Rhinolophus affinis。CETAF的COVID-19特设小组的专家建议，不仅应积累关于蹄蝠（Rhinolophidae）的分布、病毒信息及基本生态需求的知识，还应包括其系统发育上最接近的家族Hipposideridae和Rhinonycteridae。一些最近关于病毒的研究并未始终足够严谨，以致于将研究材料存入公共可获取的收藏（这具有诸多优势，如使鉴定可检验）。然而，了解目前保存在收藏中的材料是否可用于后续病毒研究至关重要。鉴于此，列出在参与Synthesys+虚拟接入呼叫的欧洲收藏中存放的材料清单（估计有20,000多个上述家族的标本）将是至关重要的。释放标本、组织液和体液样本、DNA提取物以及与这些蝙蝠家族相关的数据所产生的影响，无论是短期还是长期，都是无法估量的，尤其是考虑到我们现在和全球范围内所面临的挑战。本提案预期将产生双重影响：1）释放大量关键数据和生物材料，以支持蝙蝠-冠状病毒-人类相互作用的研究；2）引发公众对博物馆收藏在公共卫生危机中作为关键参与者的认识运动。</p>