Bats, primates, and the evolutionary origins and diversification of mammalian gammaherpesviruses

It has long been believed that herpesviruses have coevolved with their hosts and are species-specific. Nevertheless, a global evolutionary analysis of bat viruses in the context of other mammalian viruses, which could put this widely accepted view to the test, had not been undertaken until now. We present two main findings that may challenge the current view of γHV evolution: multiple host-switching events were observed at a higher rate than previously appreciated, and bats and primates harbor a large diversity of γHVs which may have led to increased cross-species transmissions from these taxa to other mammals.