The New Members of Filoviridae Family: Distribution, Natural Reservoirs, Potential Epidemic Danger

The purpose of the work is to analyze the distribution, natural reservoirs and potential epidemic hazard of new members of the Filoviridae family – Bombali viruses (genus Ebolavirus), Lloviu (genus Cuevavirus), Mengla (genus Dianlovirus), Xylang (genus Striavirus), and Hungjiao (genus Thamnovirus). New filoviruses were detected in Africa (Bombali virus), Europe (Llovi virus) and in Southeast Asia (Mengla, Xylang and Hungjiao viruses). Bats are a natural reservoir for all known filoviruses. This fact is confirmed by the information about the detection of genomic RNA and virus-specific antibodies in them. The isolation of the genomic RNA of filoviruses from bats with the subsequent sequencing and phylogenetic analysis made it possible to identify the Bombali, Lloviu, Mengla, Xylang and Hungjiao viruses as new representatives of the Filoviridae family and to establish their position on the phylogenetic tree of the Filoviridae family. Despite the current lack of information about the isolation of biologically active virus from bats, as well as in spite of lack of established connection between new filoviruses and human diseases, the information that newly identified filoviruses use the same receptors (Neumann-Peak protein) to enter sensitive cells, as the Ebola and Marburg viruses, that are pathogenic for humans, the possible pathogenetic potential of new filoviruses poses a great threat to people living in the territories, inhabited by bats. The possibility of the emergence of new emergent filovirus infections on the territory of Russia necessitates an in-depth study of bats as a natural reservoir of filoviruses in nature.

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