Diverse replication?associated protein encoding circular DNA virusesin guano samples of Central?Eastern European bats

AbstractCircular replication-associated protein encoding single-stranded DNA (CRESS DNA) viruses are increasingly recognizedworldwide in a variety of samples. Representative members include well-described veterinary pathogens with worldwidedistribution, such as porcine circoviruses or beak and feather disease virus. In addition, numerous novel viruses belongingto the family Circoviridae with unverified pathogenic roles have been discovered in different human samples. Virusesof the family Genomoviridae have also been described as being highly abundant in different faecal and environmentalsamples, with case reportsshowing them to be suspected pathogens in human infections. In order to investigate the geneticdiversity of these viruses in European bat populations, we tested guano samples from Georgia, Hungary, Romania, Serbiaand Ukraine. This resulted in the detection of six novel members of the family Circoviridae and two novel members of thefamily Genomoviridae. Interestingly, a gemini-like virus, namely niminivirus, which was originally found in raw sewagesamples in Nigeria, was also detected in our samples. We analyzed the nucleotide composition of members of the familyCircoviridae to determine the possible host origins of these viruses. This study provides the first dataset on CRESS DNAviruses of European bats, and members of several novel viral species were discovered