Evolution of equine influenza a H3N8 viruses was examined by antigenic and genetic analysis of a collection isolates from around the world. It was noted that antigenic and genetic variants of equine H3N8 viruses cocirculate, and in particular that variants currently circulating in Europe and the USA are distinguishable from one another both in terms of antigenic reactivity and genetic structure of the HA1 portion of the haemagglutinin (HA) molecule. Whilst the divergent evolution of American and European isolates may be due to geographical isolation of the two gene pools, some mixing is believed to occur as 'American-like' viruses have been isolated during outbreaks of equine influenza in the UK. The cocirculation of two antigenically and genetically distinct lineages of equine influenza H3N8 viruses has serious implications for vaccine strain selection.

Emerging infectious diseases, especially if caused by bat-borne viruses, significantly affect public health and the global economy. There is an urgent need to understand the mechanism of interspecies transmission, particularly to humans. Viral genetics; host factors, including polymorphisms in the receptors; and ecological, environmental, and population dynamics are major parameters to consider. Here, we describe the taxonomy, geographic distribution, and unique traits of bats associated with their importance as virus reservoirs. Then, we summarize the origin, intermediate hosts, and the current understanding of interspecies transmission of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), SARS-CoV-2, Nipah, Hendra, Ebola, Marburg virus, and rotaviruses. Finally, the molecular interactions of viral surface proteins with host cell receptors are examined, and a comparison of these interactions in humans, intermediate hosts, and bats is conducted. This uncovers adaptive mutations in virus spike protein that facilitate cross-species transmission and risk factors associated with the emergence of novel viruses from bats.

The ongoing SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)-CoV (coronavirus)-2 pandemic has exposed major gaps in our knowledge on the origin, ecology, evolution, and spread of animal coronaviruses. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a member of the genus Alphacoronavirus in the family Coronaviridae that may have originated from bats and leads to significant hazards and widespread epidemics in the swine population. The role of local and global trade of live swine and swine-related products in disseminating PEDV remains unclear, especially in developing countries with complex swine production systems. Here, we undertake an in-depth phylogeographic analysis of PEDV sequence data (including 247 newly sequenced samples) and employ an extension of this inference framework that enables formally testing the contribution of a range of predictor variables to the geographic spread of PEDV. Within China, the provinces of Guangdong and Henan were identified as primary hubs for the spread of PEDV, for which we estimate live swine trade to play a very important role. On a global scale, the United States and China maintain the highest number of PEDV lineages. We estimate that, after an initial introduction out of China, the United States acted as an important source of PEDV introductions into Japan, Korea, China, and Mexico. Live swine trade also explains the dispersal of PEDV on a global scale. Given the increasingly global trade of live swine, our findings have important implications for designing prevention and containment measures to combat a wide range of livestock coronaviruses.

Microarrays of virus-specific oligonucleotides may provide a method of screening samples for the presence or absence of a large variety of viruses simultaneously. Influenza viruses are ideal for evaluating such microarrays because of their genetic and host diversity, and the availability of an extensive sequence database. A collection of 476 influenza virus-specific oligonucleotides was spotted onto glass slides as probes. Viral RNAs were reverse transcribed and amplified by PCR, and the products were labeled with cyanine dyes. The presence of viruses and their identities were determined by hybridization. The fluorescence intensities of oligonucleotide spots were highly reproducible within each slide and satisfactorily proportional between experiments. However, the intensities of probe spots completely complementary to target sequences varied from background to saturation. The variations did not correlate with base composition, nucleotide sequence, or internal secondary structures. Therefore, thresholds for determining whether hybridization to a spot should be judged as positive were assigned individually. Considering only positive spots from probes predicted to be monospecific for influenza virus species, subtype, host source, or gene segment, this method made correct identifications at the species, hemagglutinin subtype, and gene segment levels. Monospecific neuraminidase (NA) subtype probes were insufficiently diverse to allow confident NA subtype assignment. Incorporating positive spots from polyspecific probes into the identification scheme gave similar results. Overall, the results demonstrate the potential of microarray-based oligonucleotide hybridization for multiple virus detection.