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Introduction. Bats are natural reservoirs of coronaviruses (Coronaviridae), which have caused three outbreaks of human disease SARS, MERS and COVID-19 or SARS-2 over the past decade. The purpose of the work is to study the diversity of coronaviruses among bats inhabiting the foothills and mountainous areas of the Republics of Dagestan, Altai and the Kemerovo region. Materials and methods. Samples of bat oral swabs and feces were tested for the presence of coronavirus RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results. It has been shown that the greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), inhabiting the Republic of Dagestan, are carriers of two different coronaviruses. One of the two coronaviruses is a member of the Sarbecovius subgenus of the Betacoronavirus genus, which includes the causative agents of SARS and COVID-19. The second coronavirus is assigned to the Decacovirus subgenus of the Alphacoronavirus genus and is most similar to viruses identified among Rhinolophus spp. from European and Middle Eastern countries. In the Altai Republic and Kemerovo region, coronaviruses belonging to the genus Alphacoronavirus, subgenus Pedacovirus, were found in the smooth-nosed bats: Ikonnikov`s bat (Myotis ikonnikovi) and the eastern bat (Myotis petax). The virus from the Altai Republic from M. ikonnikovi is close to viruses from Japan and Korea, as well as viruses from Myotis spp. from European countries. The virus from the Kemerovo region from M. petax groups with coronaviruses from Myotis spp. from Asian countries and is significantly different from coronaviruses previously discovered in the same natural host.

Our paper reflects the data of a comprehensive study of the main biological characteristics of the Siberian shrew Crocidura sibirica Dukelsky, 1930. 921 specimens were examined for the period 1978–2020. It has been found that the Siberian shrew is attracted to habitats that have been significantly disturbed by human activity (logging sites, hayfields, reclaimed coal dumps, burned areas), but avoids completely degraded areas and urban ecosystems. It reaches its maximum abundance in the low-mountain belt of the Kuznetsk Alatau in hay meadows. The population of the Siberian shrew is subject to cyclic fluctuations with a frequency of 3–4 years. Seasonal activity peaks in mid-August and September, with breeding in the second half of summer and early fall. Among the one-year-old animals, the predominance of males is observed. The diurnal activity of the Siberian shrew is polyphasic, mainly nocturnal. Peaks of highest activity were observed at 23–24 hours and 6–9 hours. In terms of running speed, digging ability, and swimming ability, the Siberian shrew is significantly inferior to its trophic competitors, the other shrews. In interspecific encounters, neutral, friendly interactions predominate; aggression is ritualized. In intraspecific encounters with large shrews, the Siberian shrew will occupy a shelter and attempt to drive an opponent from it. The food spectrum is based on the imaginal and larval stages of insects, arachnids, and centipedes. Among insects, ground beetle larvae, Brachycera, and Hymenoptera are the most preferred foods. The identified food spectrum corresponds to the biotopic distribution of invertebrates, indicating the absence of food selectivity. The trophic spectrum of the C. sibirica overlaps significantly with that of sympatric species of other shrews. Given the significant overlap of the spatial ecological niche, it can be assumed that the Siberian shrew avoids competitive interactions for food resources due to the mismatch of the peak of seasonal activity. Under the influence of competitive interactions with numerous species of the genus Sorex, the main features of the biology of the C. sibirica were formed.

To date, six hantavirus species have been detected in moles (family Talpidae). In this report, we describe Academ virus (ACDV), a novel hantavirus harbored by the Siberian mole (Talpa altaica) in Western Siberia. Genetic analysis of the complete S-, M-, and partial L-genomic segments showed that ACDV shared a common evolutionary origin with Bruges virus, previously identified in the European mole (Talpa europaea), and is distantly related to other mole-borne hantaviruses. Co-evolution and local adaptation of genetic variants of hantaviruses and their hosts, with possible reassortment events, might have shaped the evolutionary history of ACDV.

AbstractBackground:Hantaviral antigens were originally reported more than 20 years ago in tissues of the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus), captured in European and Siberian Russia. The recent discovery of Seewis virus (SWSV) in this soricid species in Switzerland provided an opportunity to investigate its genetic diversity and geographic distribution in Russia.Methods:Lung tissues from 45 Eurasian common shrews, 4 Laxmann's shrews (Sorex caecutiens), 3 Siberian large-toothed shrews (Sorex daphaenodon), 9 pygmy shrews (Sorex minutus), 28 tundra shrews (Sorex tundrensis), and 6 Siberian shrews (Crocidura sibirica), captured in 11 localities in Western and Eastern Siberia during June 2007 to September 2008, were analyzed for hantavirus RNA by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction.Results:Hantavirus L and S segment sequences, detected in 11 S. araneus, 2 S. tundrensis, and 2 S. daphaenodon, were closely related to SWSV, differing from the prototype mp70 strain by 16.3–20.2% at the nucleotide level and 1.4–1.7% at the amino acid level. Alignment and comparison of nucleotide and amino acid sequences showed an intrastrain difference of 0–11.0% and 0% for the L segment and 0.2–8.5% and 0% for the S segment, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis, using neighbor-joining, maximum-likelihood, and Bayesian methods, showed geographic-specific clustering of SWSV strains in Western and Eastern Siberia.Conclusions:This is the first definitive report of shrew-borne hantaviruses in Siberia, and demonstrates the impressive distribution of SWSV among phylogenetically related Sorexspecies. Coevolution and local adaptation of SWSV genetic variants in specific chromosomal races of S. araneusmay account for their geographic distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]