Independent infections of porcine deltacoronavirus among Haitian children

John A. Lednicky, Massimiliano S. Tagliamonte, Sarah K. White, Maha A. Elbadry, Md. Mahbubul Alam, Caroline J. Stephenson, Tania S. Bonny, Julia C. Loeb, Taina Telisma, Sonese Chavannes, David A. Ostrov, Carla Mavian, Valery Madsen Beau De Rochars, Marco Salemi () and J. Glenn Morris ()
Additional contact information
John A. Lednicky: University of Florida
Massimiliano S. Tagliamonte: University of Florida
Sarah K. White: University of Florida
Maha A. Elbadry: University of Florida
Md. Mahbubul Alam: University of Florida
Caroline J. Stephenson: University of Florida
Tania S. Bonny: University of Florida
Julia C. Loeb: University of Florida
Taina Telisma: Christianville Foundation
Sonese Chavannes: Christianville Foundation
David A. Ostrov: University of Florida
Carla Mavian: University of Florida
Valery Madsen Beau De Rochars: University of Florida
Marco Salemi: University of Florida
J. Glenn Morris: University of Florida

Nature, 2021, vol. 600, issue 7887, 133-137

Abstract: Abstract Coronaviruses have caused three major epidemics since 2003, including the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In each case, the emergence of coronavirus in our species has been associated with zoonotic transmissions from animal reservoirs1,2, underscoring how prone such pathogens are to spill over and adapt to new species. Among the four recognized genera of the family Coronaviridae, human infections reported so far have been limited to alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses3–5. Here we identify porcine deltacoronavirus strains in plasma samples of three Haitian children with acute undifferentiated febrile illness. Genomic and evolutionary analyses reveal that human infections were the result of at least two independent zoonoses of distinct viral lineages that acquired the same mutational signature in the genes encoding Nsp15 and the spike glycoprotein. In particular, structural analysis predicts that one of the changes in the spike S1 subunit, which contains the receptor-binding domain, may affect the flexibility of the protein and its binding to the host cell receptor. Our findings highlight the potential for evolutionary change and adaptation leading to human infections by coronaviruses outside of the previously recognized human-associated coronavirus groups, particularly in settings where there may be close human–animal contact.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04111-z

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