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. 2024 Aug 29;18(8):e0012437. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012437

Distribution and genetic characterization of hantaviruses in bats and rodents from Yunnan

Yutong Hou 1, Qian Li 1,2, Xingyu Huang 1, Jiale Wang 1, Junjie Hou 1, Yunze Sun 1, Xinrui Wu 1, Ziqin Dian 3, Binghui Wang 4,*, Xueshan Xia 1,4,*
Editor: Wen-Ping Guo5
PMCID: PMC11412632  PMID: 39208380

Abstract

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome caused by hantaviruses has long been a serious public health issue in Yunnan Province. Hantaviruses exhibit a high extent of biodiversity in their natural hosts, particularly in mammalian hosts. This study was conducted to screen for hantaviruses in bats and rodents in Yunnan Province and elucidate their genetic characteristics and possible zoonotic disease risk. Hantaviruses were detected in 202 bats and 372 rodents with the positive rates 27.49% and 1.25% respectively. A novel lineage (named Lineage 10) of the Seoul virus (SEOV) from rodents and the geographic clustering of hantavirus in bats were identified using phylogenetic analyses of the full-length M- and S-segments. Our study suggest a high cross-species transmissibility of hantaviruses in bats and existence of a new lineage of SEOV in rodents differing significantly from other SEOVs. These results provide data to support the prevention and control of hantavirus-associated diseases in Yunnan Province.

Author summary

Hantavirus is an important pathogen that can cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). HFRS has long been a serious public health problem in Yunnan Province. However, the molecular epidemiology and host characteristics of hantavirus in Yunnan Province are still unclear. Therefore, we screened hantaviruses in bats and rodents in selected areas of Yunnan from 2018 to 2022 and found the 10th SEOV lineage in rodents, as well as new geographic clusters of Xuan son virus (XSV) and novel hantavirus in bats. We proposed the possibility of the 10th SEOV lineage in rodents as an ancestral lineage and explained the related host-switching events in bat hantaviruses. These results provide data to reveal a greater risk of zoonotic disease and support the prevention and control of hantavirus-associated diseases and in Yunnan Province.

Introduction

Hantaviruses are enveloped, segmented, negative-strand RNA viruses of the Hantaviridae family. Its virions are generally spherical in nature, with an average diameter of approximately 80–120 nm. Hantavirus genomes consist of three segments, designated L (large), M (medium), and S (small). The L-segment encodes the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), the M-segment encodes a glycoprotein precursor that is further processed to produce two transmembrane glycoproteins, Gn and Gc, and the S-segment encodes the nucleocapsid protein [1].

The first isolation of hantaviruses was reported from the Apodemus agrarius near the Hantan river in Korea [2]. The natural mammalian hosts of hantaviruses include Chiroptera, Murinae, Arvicolinae, Soricomorpha, and Insectivora [3]. Fifty types of hantaviruses have been identified worldwide, and at least 28 cause human disease [4]. To date, only rodent-borne hantaviruses are responsible for the human diseases hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) [5]. The main clinical symptoms of HFRS are hemorrhage, petechiae, inflammatory symptoms of the eye, acute myopia, and varying degrees of acute renal failure. The clinical symptoms of HCPS include dry cough, rapidly worsening dyspnea on chest radiography, and rapidly evolving bilateral interstitial edema [6].

The current mainstream classification of hantaviruses is based on geographical distribution, namely "old world" and "new world" types. The old world hantaviruses are mainly prevalent in Europe and Asia and are carried by rodents and insectivores, resulting in HFRS [4]. The most widespread hantavirus in Europe is Puumala virus (PUUV) carried by Myodes glareolus [7], and most cases of HFRS associated with PUUV have been diagnosed in Europe, Russia, Finland, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Balkans [8]. The outbreak caused by PUUV reached in a new incidence peak in Germany in 2012 with more than 2,800 reported cases [9]. Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV) infection occurs mainly in southeastern Europe and has been the cause of almost all cases of HFRS in Greece. DOBV is the most fatal hantavirus in Europe, with a 12% case fatality rate [10]. Other rodent-borne hantaviruses that cause severe HFRS, Hantaan virus (HTNV), and the HTNV-like Amur/Soochong virus, are transmitted in Far East Russia, China, and South Korea [11]. The Seoul virus (SEOV), harbored by Rattus norvegicus, is unique among old world hantaviruses in that it spreads worldwide because of the highly migratory and global distribution of its host [12]. The new world hantaviruses, predominantly prevalent in the Americas, cause HCPS. The first isolate was identified in 1993 after an outbreak of acute pulmonary distress syndrome in the United States, from Peromyscus maniculatus, and was named Sin Nombre virus [13]. Different hantaviruses have been identified and isolated in the Americas [14], with the predominant one in South America being the Andes virus (ANDV), which caused an epidemic of HCPS in Argentina [15]. More than 30 hantaviruses have been identified throughout the Americas [5]. The same hemorrhagic fever is commonly caused by multiple different genotypes of hantaviruses. In Brazil, the hantaviruses that cause HCPS are complex, including at least seven genotypes, the most virulent of which is Araraquara virus, with a 50% mortality rate [16]. Therefore, the discovery of novel hantaviruses and their different genotypes is highly significant for clinical research.

The majority of hantavirus hosts are distributed in China, and SEOV and HTNV, carried by rodents, have been prevalent in recent years [17]. SEOV is widely distributed worldwide and divided into nine lineages, with lineages 1, 3, and 5 being mainly from China [18]. Multiple bat-borne hantaviruses have also been found in Guangxi, Yunnan, Hubei, and Zhejiang in China, indicating a potential disease risk [3,19,20].

Yunnan Province is a geographically diverse region located at the crossroads of several countries, its environment provides sufficient conditions for virus hosts to survive and facilitate the spread of related diseases which is supported by studies of Yunnan bats harboring coronaviruses with genomic similarity to the novel coronavirus [21] and by reports of perennial epidemics of the plague in Yunnan [22]. Therefore, this study was conducted to screen for hantaviruses in bats and rodents in Yunnan Province and elucidate their genetic characteristics and possible transmission risk through a gene sequence analysis of epidemic strains. The overall aim was to provide scientific data to support infectious disease prevention and control in Yunnan Province.

Materials and methods

Ethics statement

This study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee of Kunming University of Science and Technology (protocol no. 16048). Rare and protected animals were not involved.

Sample collection

Bats and rodents were captured from wild environments or suburbs in various prefectures of Yunnan Province, including Kunming, Chuxiong, Honghe, Dehong, Nujiang, Xishuangbanna and Dali. They were transported with dry ice, and stored at -80°C for further laboratory processing. They were then dissected, and lung tissue was removed and placed in virus preservation solution and stored at -80°C until RNA extraction. Bat and rodent sampling locations are listed in S1 Table.

Hantavirus screening

Tissue suspension were prepared through grinding and centrifugation. Total RNA was extracted from 200 μL of homogenates using a TIANamp virus RNA kit (TIANGEN). Universal primers [23] were used to amplify the hantavirus RdRp gene (partial L-segment), which was sequenced for further phylogenetic analysis at Tsingke Biological Co. Ltd.

Amplification and sequencing of full-length M- and S-segments of hantavirus

Following the initial identification of the RdRp gene using BLAST (NCBI), primers were designed to amplify the full-length hantavirus M- and S-segments in rodents and bats based on conserved regions. S2 Table presents all the primers used to amplify the M- and S-segments. The partial L-segment and full-length M-, and S-segments sequences for hantavirus obtained in this research were submitted to NCBI GenBank. S3 Table provides accession numbers of published sequences for all strains.

Phylogenetic analyses

ClustalW in MEGA-X was used to align multiple sequences, and phylogenetic analysis was performed using maximum likelihood (ML) trees (GTR + G + I and 1000 bootstrap) in MEGA-X for the partial L-segment of all positive samples and the full-length M- and S- segments of the new subtypes and novel hantaviruses. Dobrava-Belgrade virus strain Afl9/1999 and PUUV strain DTK/Ufa-97 were used as the outgroup for new subtypes of SEOV and bat-borne hantaviruses, respectively. Estimates of genetic divergence were obtained via pairwise analysis using MEGA-X for the full-length M- and S-segments of hantavirus variants. In addition, an amino acid phylogenetic analysis (Poisson model and 1000 bootstrap) of bat hantaviruses was constructed to complement the above arguments in S1 Fig.

Results

Hantavirus infections in rodents and bats

Between 2018 and 2022, a total of 372 rodents were collected from eight prefectures in Yunnan Province, as detailed in S1 Table. The sample included 157 Rattus norvegicus, constituting 42.20% of the total, 170 Rattus tanezumi (45.70%), and twenty Apodemus ilex (5.38%). Additionally, 202 bat lung samples were obtained, with 123 samples (60.89%) from Hipposideros gentilis, twenty (9.90%) from Hipposideros armiger, nineteen (9.40%) from Rhinolophus sinicus, and thirteen (6.4%) from Rhinolophus affinis, collected across five prefectures in Yunnan Province. Hantaviruses were identified in bats and rodents, with positive rates of 27.49% (47/202) and 1.6% (6/372), respectively. The positive rates in bats were 31.7% (45/142) in Nujiang and 6.90% (2/29) in Pu’er and the positive rate was 25% (5/20) in R. norvegicus in Kunming and 5% (1/20) in R. tanezumi in Honghe.

Genetic characteristics of Hantavirus strains

Hantaviruses are primarily hosted by mammals, with pathogenic strains predominantly associated with Muridae. For preliminary hantavirus identification, a maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree based on L gene sequences was constructed using five phylogroups of hantaviruses carried by different mammalian hosts: Chiroptera, Murinae, Arvicolinae, Soricomorpha, and Insectivora, with Soricomorpha and Arvicolinae positioned relatively basally (Fig 1). The results indicate that hantaviruses associated with Murinae and Insectivora exhibit close phylogenetic relationships. Chiroptera forms a distinct cluster; however, Thottapalayam thottimvirus (TPMV), Uluguru thottimvirus (ULUV), and Kilimanjaro thottimvirus (KMJV), harbored by Insectivora, act as a separate cluster within the Chiroptera phylogroup. Soricomorpha and Arvicolinae cluster together and are positioned basally in the phylogenetic tree. Upon adding the L gene sequences obtained in this study, forty-five strains from bats were XSV, and other two strains were novel hantaviruses. Of the 45 XSV strains from bats, 43 were identified in Hipposideros gentilis, one in Rhinolophus sinicus, and one in Hipposideros armiger. All strains from rodents were SEOV.

Fig 1. Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree based on partial L-segments of Mammalian hantavirus.

Fig 1

The tree was constructed using hantavirus L-segments showed all strains divided into 5 phylogroups: Chiroptera, Murinae, Arvicolinae, Soricomorpha, Insectivore, with the Soricomorpha and Arvicolinae in a relatively basal position.

The two bat-borne hantavirus sequences from Pu’er formed a region-specific phylogroup with the XSV strain Dode virus in Pu’er, and the forty-three bat-borne hantavirus sequences from Nujiang formed a single branch with the closest affinity to this phylogroup. In addition, the other two sequences from Nujiang, respectively identified in Rhinolophus affinis and Hipposideros gentilis, were in separate clusters and were distantly related to other sequences found in Nujiang, with the closest related branch being the Longquan virus (LQUV) found in Zhejiang [3]. The rodent-borne hantaviruses in this study were SEOV, and the three sequences from Kunming clustered with Seoul lineage 3 found in Zhejiang, whereas the two sequences from Kunming and one from Honghe clustered to form a branch, and all were relatively distant from the known SEOV (Fig 1). Only the new geographic clusters and novel hantavirus were subjected to subsequent full-length genomic analysis.

Identifications of a novel rodent-borne Seoul Virus lineage

A phylogenetic analysis of rodent-borne hantavirus sequences was performed based on full-length M- and S-segments, including three strains belonging to new lineages in the RdRp gene phylogenetic analysis. Herein, M- and S-segments of SEOV strains identified fell into seven and eight lineages, respectively (missing lineages did not provide complete genome, and lineage 8 did not have full-length M-segments). In the phylogenetic ML tree based on full-length M- and S-segments of SEOVs, the three SEOV strains identified herein formed a new lineage (ML bootstrap showed high support) and shared a genetically distinct position with lineage 5 found in Zhejiang (Fig 2A) [24]. The ML tree based on the full-length M-segments produced a similar topology to that based on the S-segments, and the new lineage clustered individually at a most basal position compared with other SEOVs. These findings suggest that the M-segments of the new lineages exhibits a higher degree of variation compared to the S-segments. (Fig 2B).

Fig 2.

Fig 2

Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree based on full-length M- (A) and S-segments of Seoul virus (B). This tree was rooted using DOBV as an outgroup and the full-length M- and S-segments of SEOV strains identified fell into 7 and 8 lineages, respectively. Only bootstrap support of ≥70% are shown. Comparison of Encoded Amino Acid Sequences of the M- and S-segments of Seoul virus(C).

The nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarities of the entire S (1,290 nt) and M (3,402 nt) CDSs of the novel lineage with other lineages were between 82.37/98.44–84.56/99.24% and 75.87/95.54–77.01/97.13%, respectively (Fig 2C). The range was smaller than the range of nucleotide and amino acid differences, confirming that the SEOV identified herein is the 10th lineage, with a close evolutionary relationship with Gou virus (GOUV) found in Zhejiang Province. And these two lineages differ significantly from other lineages of SEOV, indicating the existence of a genetically distinct SEOV phylogroup.

Phylogenetic analysis of full-length M- and S-segments of bat-borne Hantavirus

Given the high similarity among the 43 XSVs, only 5 were chosen along with the 2 strains related to LQUVs for M- and S-segments amplification and construction of phylogenetic ML trees with the full-length M- and S-segments of bat-borne hantaviruses The ML trees produced similar topologies; (Fig 3A and 3B). The XSV found in Nujiang in this study was closely related to, but did not cluster with, the PR15 strain found in Pu’er, Yunnan. Herein, the Dode virus was also from Pu’er, Yunnan, but only approximate full-length segments were provided. To verify that XSV forms two distinct geographic clusters in Yunnan, the Dode virus was included as a reference.

Fig 3.

Fig 3

ML tree based on full-length M-segments of bat-borne hantavirus (A). ML tree based on full-length S-segments of bat-borne hantavirus (B). This tree consists of all the bat-borne hantavirust hat have been reported to have full-length M- and S-segments (XSV, LAIV, QZNV, DKGV, BRNV, and LQUV), with PUUV as the outgroup. Only bootstrap support of ≥70% are shown. Comparison of Encoded Amino Acid Sequences of the full-length M- and S-segments of bat-borne hantaviruses(C).

LQUV and Brno virus (BRNV) do not belong to Mobatvirus in the genus-level classification, but are separately classified as Loanvirus, and the phylogenetic analysis was consistent with this classification. The two strains showed a close phylogenetic relationship with LQUV, sharing relatively basic phylogroups (ML trees based on M- and S- segments both produced very similar topologies). The ML tree constructed from the corresponding amino acid sequences supports the above conclusion. (S1 Fig).

Based on nucleotide and amino acid homology statistics for the sequences encoding G and N proteins, respectively, the new bat-borne hantaviruses exhibited 91.89% and 90.12% amino acid similarity to the full-length M and S genes of the most related strain, LQUV Longquan-Ra-90 (Fig 3C). This is consistent with the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) requirement for hantavirus species demarcation, which states that a new virus must differ by more than 7% from other hantaviruses based on N and G protein amino acid sequences [25]. Therefore, we named this new virus Lushui virus (LSHV).

Among these, the new geographic cluster YN-HP-142 of XSV (the remaining four strains encoded the same protein) has an entire S-segment CDS region (Nucleocapsid protein) of 1,284 nt and an entire M-segment CDS region (Glycoproteins) of 3,387 nt. LSHV, a new member of the genus Loanvirus, has an entire S-segment CDS region of 1,272 nt and an entire M-segment CDS region of 3,402 nt. LSHV is consistent with other members of the genus Loanvirus. Specifically, in the S gene, the Loanvirus genus lacks 3 amino acids at positions 226–234 nt and 1 amino acid at positions 754–757 nt, compared to other bat-borne hantaviruses. In contrast, the GP gene of the Loanvirus genus exhibits an additional amino acid at positions 967–969 nt.

Discussion

Hantaviruses, members of the Hantaviridae family within the order Bunyavirales, represent a large and diverse group with a wide host distribution in nature. Significant genetic variations exist among virus strains from different animal hosts. Notably, rodent-borne hantaviruses, such as those belonging to the Hantaan and Seoul virus groups, are capable of infecting humans and causing diseases. The spectrum of illnesses caused by hantaviruses varies depending on the specific virus involved. For example, ANDV causes severe HCPS; however, Prospect Hill virus is not associated with human disease [26].

In China, a high prevalence of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), primarily caused by SEOV and HTNV, has been reported, leading to major epidemics. Notably, Yunnan Province in China has consistently been an endemic region for hantavirus infections [27]. In 2020, areas with high HFRS prevalence were predominantly Dali and Chuxiong states, accounting for 89.20% (190/213) of the cases in Yunnan. From 2005 to 2012, the population prevalence of HFRS was higher in Kunming (13.95%, 30/215) and lower in Honghe (8.37%, 18/215) [28]. The positivity rates of SEOV identified in this study are consistent with these findings: 25% for R. norvegicus in Kunming and 5% for R. tanezumi in Honghe.

The epidemic hantaviruses reported in China are mainly SEOVs harbored by R. norvegicus and HTNV harbored by Apodemus agrarius [24], but the SEOV identified in this study is still the most widely distributed hantavirus globally, which has developed from a single epidemic in Asia to a four-continent epidemic in Asia, Europe, America, and Africa [29]. Bat-borne hantaviruses, such as Laibin virus found in Guangxi [30], Huangpi virus found in Wuhan, and LQUV found in Zhejiang [3], have been frequently found in China, indicating that China has become a priority area for the prevalence of bat-borne hantaviruses. In recent years, numerous novel hantavirus strains have been discovered and identified from various small mammal hosts in Yunnan [19,3133]. Here, we screened hantaviruses in bats and rodents in selected areas of Yunnan from 2018 to 2022 and found the 10th SEOV lineage in rodents, as well as new geographic clusters of XSV and the novel hantavirus LSHV in bats, revealing a greater risk of zoonotic disease in Yunnan.

Hantaviruses were thought to be host-specific, with one hantavirus generally corresponding to only one rodent host [34]. Recently, several host-switching events have occurred for HTNV and SEOV [24]. The discovery of a homologous SEOV lineage 10 (with Yunnan-Rn-014 in Kunming and Yunnan-Rt-11202 in Honghe having M-CDS and S-CDS similarity of 98.24% and 99.3%, respectively) in both R. tanezumi and R. norvegicus also revealed a host spillover event, from R. norvegicus to R. tanezumi, helping to elucidate the evolutionary pattern of hantaviruses.

As mentioned, lineage 10 and 5 together form an underlying phylogroup and show early evolutionary divergence. It has been reported that the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, where lineage 5 barbored by R. norvegicus was identified, were the radiation centers for most known phylogenetic lineages of SEOVs in China. Contrary to this conclusion, lineage 10 is clearly in a more basal position, especially in the phylogenetic analysis of full-length M-segments. Ruling out the occurrence of recombination events in the M-segment, we inferred that lineage 10 might be a considerably earlier ancestor of SEOV.

Bats are important potential hantavirus hosts, and their ability to fly long distances, population densities, and sociality favor the efficient maintenance, evolution, and spread of viruses [3]. XSV was first reported in 2012 in H. gentilis in Phu Tho Province, Vietnam [35], later in Pu’er in 2013 [19], and subsequently in H. cineraceus in Laibin, Guangxi in 2015 [20]. Herein, it was reported in Nujiang in 2022. But based on the partial L-segment, full-length M-, and S-CDS differentiation order, XSVs from Laibin and Vietnam are speculated to be basic and possibly the ancestors of XSVs. Based on the genetic differentiation sequence and timeline, XSV in Nujiang was likely transmitted by H. gentilis from Phu Tho. Among the 43 XSV-positive samples in Nujiang, 41 were from H. gentilis, while the remaining 2 were from Rhinolophus sinicus (Yunnan-Rs-117/China/2022) and Hipposideros armiger (Yunnan-Ha-033/China/2022). This indicates that a host-switching event may have occurred within the local bat population.(S1 Table). We speculate that efficient virus transmission in Nujiang might be associated with higher local population densities, and the three bat caves sampled were all in the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve of Lushui City and in close proximity to each other.

Of note, LSHV was found simultaneously with XSV in the Nujiang bat samples from this study, with a much smaller positive rate than XSV. Considering that its hosts include R. affinis (Yunnan-Ra-015/China/2022), there is strong evidence that LSHV has a different transmission route than XSV. Apart from LSHV, there are only two viruses belonging to Loanvirus worldwide, LQUV carried by Rhinolophus found in Zhejiang, China in 2011 [3], and Brno virus carried by Nyctalus noctula found in the Czech Republic in 2012 [36]. The ML tree results showed that LSHV, LQUV, and BRNV are in a relatively basal position; however, since the host of BRNV is Nyctalus noctula, it is currently unclear whether there is a transmission relationship between LSHV and LQUV in China and BRNV in the Czech Republic. (Fig 3A and 3B).

Yunnan, a province of China bordering Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, has a very important geographical location, and owing to its rich flora and fauna, the main hosts of hantaviruses interact frequently. Therefore, we must not consider only the invasion of hantaviruses carried by rodents, including SEOV and HTNV, which cause HFRS epidemics in China and East Asia, but also prevent and control the entry of hantavirus-carrying species from other countries. Recently, SEOVs originating from East Asia have been reported successively in Europe [18], but the migratory transmission pathways of their rodent hosts are not known. Yunnan is located in an intermediate geographical position; thus, the composition and prevalence of its rodent hosts must be further elucidated.

One of the limitations of this study is the lack of comprehensive rodent hantavirus-positive samples, preventing an overall assessment of the trend of hantavirus prevalence in Yunnan. Given the critical situation in Yunnan, which is an original outbreak area for HFRS and expanding yearly, we plan to collect more samples of potential hantavirus carriers and expand the screening scope to investigate the prevalence of pathogenic hantaviruses carried by rodents while monitoring the prevalence of hantaviruses in other hosts, especially bats capable of long-distance flights. Ultimately, these data will support the prevention and control of hantavirus-associated diseases in Yunnan Province.

Supporting information

S1 Fig. ML tree constructed from the amino acid sequences corresponding to the entire M and S CDSs of bat-borne hantaviruses.

(TIF)

pntd.0012437.s001.tif (363.8KB, tif)
S1 Table. Prevalence of hantavirus in bats and rodents by species and location in Yunnan.

(XLSX)

pntd.0012437.s002.xlsx (12.1KB, xlsx)
S2 Table. The primers for amplification of the full-length M- and S-segments.

(XLSX)

pntd.0012437.s003.xlsx (12.7KB, xlsx)
S3 Table. Accession numbers of published sequences for all strains.

(XLSX)

pntd.0012437.s004.xlsx (10.8KB, xlsx)

Data Availability

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

Funding Statement

This study was supported by grants from Yunnan Key R&D Program (No. 202103AQ100001)(BW and XX), Yunnan Major Scientific and Technological Projects (No. 202202AG050013)(BW and XX), Yunnan Province Basic Research Program Projects (No. 202101AS070028)(XX), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 81960606)(ZD). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012437.r001

Decision Letter 0

Andrea Marzi, Wen-Ping Guo

4 Mar 2024

Dear Prof. Wang,

Thank you very much for submitting your manuscript "Distribution and Genetic Characterization of Hantaviruses in Bats and Rodents from Yunnan" for consideration at PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. As with all papers reviewed by the journal, your manuscript was reviewed by members of the editorial board and by several independent reviewers. In light of the reviews (below this email), we would like to invite the resubmission of a significantly-revised version that takes into account the reviewers' comments.

We cannot make any decision about publication until we have seen the revised manuscript and your response to the reviewers' comments. Your revised manuscript is also likely to be sent to reviewers for further evaluation.

When you are ready to resubmit, please upload the following:

[1] A letter containing a detailed list of your responses to the review comments and a description of the changes you have made in the manuscript. Please note while forming your response, if your article is accepted, you may have the opportunity to make the peer review history publicly available. The record will include editor decision letters (with reviews) and your responses to reviewer comments. If eligible, we will contact you to opt in or out.

[2] Two versions of the revised manuscript: one with either highlights or tracked changes denoting where the text has been changed; the other a clean version (uploaded as the manuscript file).

Important additional instructions are given below your reviewer comments.

Please prepare and submit your revised manuscript within 60 days. If you anticipate any delay, please let us know the expected resubmission date by replying to this email. Please note that revised manuscripts received after the 60-day due date may require evaluation and peer review similar to newly submitted manuscripts.

Thank you again for your submission. We hope that our editorial process has been constructive so far, and we welcome your feedback at any time. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Wen-Ping Guo

Academic Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Andrea Marzi

Section Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Key Review Criteria Required for Acceptance?

As you describe the new analyses required for acceptance, please consider the following:

Methods

-Are the objectives of the study clearly articulated with a clear testable hypothesis stated?

-Is the study design appropriate to address the stated objectives?

-Is the population clearly described and appropriate for the hypothesis being tested?

-Is the sample size sufficient to ensure adequate power to address the hypothesis being tested?

-Were correct statistical analysis used to support conclusions?

-Are there concerns about ethical or regulatory requirements being met?

Reviewer #1: The authors have made phylogeographic claims. In such cases, I believe that geographical information such as map information is essential.

Although this study determined the full-length sequences of the S and M segments, it did not present any primer information used for this determination. If NGS is used, the method should be described; however, this method has not yet been described.

H. pomona, described by the authors, is now referred to by a different scientific name. Please check the reference and provide the correct species name.

Diversity 2021, 13, 218. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13050218

Reviewer #2: Objectives of the study are clearly articulated, study design is appropriate to address the stated objectives. Methods are clearly described and appropriate, additional clarify is needed regarding sampling. Sample size is adequate for this type of study. Phylogenetic methods are correct

Specific commenst:

Line 44 - please, refer to the current hantavirus taxonomy;

Line 50 - the statement "Hantaviruses originated from the black threaded gopher" seems incorect, please, revise and clarify ;

Line 68 - the statement "The last PUUV outbreak occurred in Germany in 2012" is not true, please, update the references and revise;

Line 69 - Dobrava virus (DOBV) - please, correct the full name to Dobrava-Belgrade virus

Line2 102,103 - the statement is unreferenced, please, clarify

In the Results sections analyses of fecal samples are presented yet no mention of this type of samples in the methods

--------------------

Results

-Does the analysis presented match the analysis plan?

-Are the results clearly and completely presented?

-Are the figures (Tables, Images) of sufficient quality for clarity?

Reviewer #1: The resolution of the figure and tables was poor and indiscernible (figures 1-3). Some action is needed.

The classification of LQUV and BRNV is mentioned, but it should be discussed using amino acid-based phylogenetic analysis, as well as DNA phylogenetic analysis. The authors may be correct in their assertion, but it is not clear whether they are misrepresenting the facts, and it is impossible to discern. This should be mentioned based on the phylogenetic analysis using amino acids.

In the phylogenetic analysis of hantaviruses in figure 1, there are several viruses that should be included as outgroups. Among them, Thottapalayam thottimvirus (TPMV), Nova mobatvirus (NVAV), Uluguru thottimvirus (ULUV), and Kilimanjaro thottimvirus (KMJV) must be included, and in this study, thottimvirus group was not added at all. In particular, ULUV and KMJV are the only viruses identified in Myosoricinae, so author must be included in the phylogenetic analysis of hantaviruses as a whole, but they were not included in this study.

In a normal phylogenetic analysis, multiple branches usually indicate inadequate analysis. There is a region of low bootslap (no numbers) and multifurcation downstream of bootstrap 86 in the authors' figure 1, Chiroptera region. Analysis of this portion of the region is entirely uncertain, and it is impossible to draw definitive conclusions from these results. Figure 1 also confirms the results of the low bootstrap values (no numbers) in areas where hantaviruses detected from each organism are heavily branched. This result alone could lead one to mistakenly believe that the large categories shown in figure 1 are not sufficiently reliable. Reanalysis of the authors' data with additional sequence data might provide results that support the authors' assertions.

Reviewer #2: Results are clearly presented, the figures are clear and of sufficient quality. Adjustnent regarding sampling is needed

Specific comments:

In the Method s section preparation of lung samples is described, yet Results are shown for fecal samples only? Please, apend and clarify

Two headings in the results section are consecutively numbered 3.3, please, correct

Lines 214, 215 "five strains from the 42 viruses in separate clusters and two strains with closer affinity to 215 LQUV in Nujiang were selected" - selected for what? please, append and clarify

--------------------

Conclusions

-Are the conclusions supported by the data presented?

-Are the limitations of analysis clearly described?

-Do the authors discuss how these data can be helpful to advance our understanding of the topic under study?

-Is public health relevance addressed?

Reviewer #1: Overall, the results were very interesting, but the phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses were insufficient to fully understand the path to the conclusions. I request that the authors conduct the analysis again.

Reviewer #2: Conclusions are missing and are not clearly formulated

--------------------

Editorial and Data Presentation Modifications?

Use this section for editorial suggestions as well as relatively minor modifications of existing data that would enhance clarity. If the only modifications needed are minor and/or editorial, you may wish to recommend “Minor Revision” or “Accept”.

Reviewer #1: As noted in the Methods section, primer information is not provided, but information on the deposited sequences is provided in supplemental Table 2.

Reviewer #2: The manuscirpt requires to be thoroughly revised to reach the recquired clarity in data presentation

--------------------

Summary and General Comments

Use this section to provide overall comments, discuss strengths/weaknesses of the study, novelty, significance, general execution and scholarship. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. If requesting major revision, please articulate the new experiments that are needed.

Reviewer #1: This study aimed to analyze the phylogeography of hantaviruses detected in Rodent and Chiroptera. However, the data presented are insufficient to verify the authors' claims. While I expect the authors to be correct in their assertion, there is a disconnect between their results and conclusions, and I would like to see more careful analysis and support data that can adequately support their assertion.

In addition, numerous citations in the literature seem to employ papers that approximate but do not provide correct information. The authors' citations were partly correct and partly incorrect. Addressing such citations may hinder the smooth review process. The authors are urged to make good faith in the corrections.

For example, the first report of XSV was by Arai et al. and should be cited correctly. Gu et al. did not confirm or mention XSV in their paper.

Reviewer #2: The manuscript "Distribution and Genetic Characterization of Hantaviruses in Bats and Rodents from Yunnan" presents important and interesting findings, figures are clear and illustrative

However, the background data and discussion repeatedly refer to outdated references, text structure is difficult to follow and content is not clear, so, in spite of not having major request regarding the very topic and analyses, because of the extent of editorial revision needed I recommend "major revision"

--------------------

PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes: Maja Stanojevic

Figure Files:

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email us at figures@plos.org.

Data Requirements:

Please note that, as a condition of publication, PLOS' data policy requires that you make available all data used to draw the conclusions outlined in your manuscript. Data must be deposited in an appropriate repository, included within the body of the manuscript, or uploaded as supporting information. This includes all numerical values that were used to generate graphs, histograms etc.. For an example see here: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001908#s5.

Reproducibility:

To enhance the reproducibility of your results, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io, where a protocol can be assigned its own identifier (DOI) such that it can be cited independently in the future. Additionally, PLOS ONE offers an option to publish peer-reviewed clinical study protocols. Read more information on sharing protocols at https://plos.org/protocols?utm_medium=editorial-email&utm_source=authorletters&utm_campaign=protocols

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012437.r003

Decision Letter 1

Andrea Marzi, Wen-Ping Guo

30 May 2024

Dear Prof. Wang,

Thank you very much for submitting your manuscript "Distribution and Genetic Characterization of Hantaviruses in Bats and Rodents from Yunnan" for consideration at PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. As with all papers reviewed by the journal, your manuscript was reviewed by members of the editorial board and by several independent reviewers. In light of the reviews (below this email), we would like to invite the resubmission of a significantly-revised version that takes into account the reviewers' comments.

We cannot make any decision about publication until we have seen the revised manuscript and your response to the reviewers' comments. Your revised manuscript is also likely to be sent to reviewers for further evaluation.

When you are ready to resubmit, please upload the following:

[1] A letter containing a detailed list of your responses to the review comments and a description of the changes you have made in the manuscript. Please note while forming your response, if your article is accepted, you may have the opportunity to make the peer review history publicly available. The record will include editor decision letters (with reviews) and your responses to reviewer comments. If eligible, we will contact you to opt in or out.

[2] Two versions of the revised manuscript: one with either highlights or tracked changes denoting where the text has been changed; the other a clean version (uploaded as the manuscript file).

Important additional instructions are given below your reviewer comments.

Please prepare and submit your revised manuscript within 60 days. If you anticipate any delay, please let us know the expected resubmission date by replying to this email. Please note that revised manuscripts received after the 60-day due date may require evaluation and peer review similar to newly submitted manuscripts.

Thank you again for your submission. We hope that our editorial process has been constructive so far, and we welcome your feedback at any time. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Wen-Ping Guo

Academic Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Andrea Marzi

Section Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Key Review Criteria Required for Acceptance?

As you describe the new analyses required for acceptance, please consider the following:

Methods

-Are the objectives of the study clearly articulated with a clear testable hypothesis stated?

-Is the study design appropriate to address the stated objectives?

-Is the population clearly described and appropriate for the hypothesis being tested?

-Is the sample size sufficient to ensure adequate power to address the hypothesis being tested?

-Were correct statistical analysis used to support conclusions?

-Are there concerns about ethical or regulatory requirements being met?

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: The authors have accepted most of the suggestions and the revised manuscript is substantially improved, still, some comments remain:

lines 45, 46 - please, use the netire mane prior to introducing acronyme (XSV, LSHV)

line 51 - the correct name of the viral order in question is Bunyavirales, please, correct; considering the dynamic changing of the ICTV classification, it is already obsolete, so the authors might decide to delete it and keep just the viral family info.

line 53 - the segment is MEDIUM not MIDDLE

line 65 - "increasing dyspnea on chest radiography" is not quite correct, dyspnea is a symptom, please, rephrase

--------------------

Results

-Does the analysis presented match the analysis plan?

-Are the results clearly and completely presented?

-Are the figures (Tables, Images) of sufficient quality for clarity?

Reviewer #1: The LQV in Figure 3C is careless errors. LQV is presumed that the LSHV is presented in Figures 3A and 3B. I assume that this difference is one of the core elemental data of this study. The inclusion of careless errors in this most crucial aspect of the data significantly compromises the credibility of this study.

Reviewer #2: lines 148-151 - positivity rates values in different specimens are confusing and not clearly prsented, please, rephrase

line 171 - Lineage 10 refers to SEOV, please, be precise in the title and through the text; also, the classification of SEOV into linegaes has not been explaned and elaborated nowhere in the manuscript, please, elaborate this either in the intorduction or briefly in the discussion section

--------------------

Conclusions

-Are the conclusions supported by the data presented?

-Are the limitations of analysis clearly described?

-Do the authors discuss how these data can be helpful to advance our understanding of the topic under study?

-Is public health relevance addressed?

Reviewer #1: In Figure 3, the authors present the amino acid homology of GP between strains of XSV as ranging from 92.72 to 94.24%. Additionally, the amino acid homology between LQUV and LSHV is presented as 91.89%. It is noteworthy that 92.72% homology of the sequences indicated the same virus, while 91.89% homology indicated the distinct from it. XSV has already exhibited a 7% difference in ICTV. It is evident that the criterion of a percentage difference does not apply in this case. The current situation does not preclude the possibility that the true host of LQUV exists separately and that spillover infections are being detected. It is acknowledged that the authors' judgment is valid; however, there are still some aspects that have not yet been clarified, and further discussion is necessary.

Reviewer #2: line 223 - still, blunt statements such as: "Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, one of the most serious human diseases, has a significant impact on society" remained, please rephrase and specify

in general, Conclusions are missing and are not clearly formulated

--------------------

Editorial and Data Presentation Modifications?

Use this section for editorial suggestions as well as relatively minor modifications of existing data that would enhance clarity. If the only modifications needed are minor and/or editorial, you may wish to recommend “Minor Revision” or “Accept”.

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: The manuscirpt still requires revision, to reach the quality neede for PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

--------------------

Summary and General Comments

Use this section to provide overall comments, discuss strengths/weaknesses of the study, novelty, significance, general execution and scholarship. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. If requesting major revision, please articulate the new experiments that are needed.

Reviewer #1: The authors have responded to the review in a satisfactory manner, with the exception of a few instances where further clarification is required. I have identified specific areas where additional corrections are necessary. These are outlined in each part.

Reviewer #2: The manuscript "Distribution and Genetic Characterization of Hantaviruses in Bats and Rodents from Yunnan" presents important and interesting findings, figures are clear and illustrative

However, text structure is often difficult to follow and content is not clear, so, in spite of not having major request regarding the very topic and analyses, because of the extent of editorial revision needed I recommend "major revision"

--------------------

PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes: Maja Stanojevic

Figure Files:

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email us at figures@plos.org.

Data Requirements:

Please note that, as a condition of publication, PLOS' data policy requires that you make available all data used to draw the conclusions outlined in your manuscript. Data must be deposited in an appropriate repository, included within the body of the manuscript, or uploaded as supporting information. This includes all numerical values that were used to generate graphs, histograms etc.. For an example see here: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001908#s5.

Reproducibility:

To enhance the reproducibility of your results, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io, where a protocol can be assigned its own identifier (DOI) such that it can be cited independently in the future. Additionally, PLOS ONE offers an option to publish peer-reviewed clinical study protocols. Read more information on sharing protocols at https://plos.org/protocols?utm_medium=editorial-email&utm_source=authorletters&utm_campaign=protocols

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012437.r005

Decision Letter 2

Andrea Marzi, Wen-Ping Guo

22 Jul 2024

Dear Prof. Wang,

Thank you very much for submitting your manuscript "Distribution and Genetic Characterization of Hantaviruses in Bats and Rodents from Yunnan" for consideration at PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. As with all papers reviewed by the journal, your manuscript was reviewed by members of the editorial board and by several independent reviewers. In light of the reviews (below this email), we would like to invite the resubmission of a significantly-revised version that takes into account the reviewers' comments.

line 94, bat-associated hantaviruses were also identified in Zhejiang and Hubei

lines 112-113, Chu xiong, Hong he, De hong, Nu jiang, Xi shuang ban na and Da li, should be Chuxiong, Honghe, Dehong, Nujiang, Xishuangbanna and Dali

line 115, add ℃ after -80

line120, Tianamp virus RNA kit, from which coporation?

line 139, Poisson model, why was this model used?

line 144, Rattus norvegicus, should be italicized

line 151, add "and" before "the positive rate was 25%"

line 155, "murinae", should be "Muridae"

line 156, add "based on L gene sequences" before "was constructed"

line 166, "RDRP sequences", should be L gene sequences

line 164, add "other" before "two strains"

line 167, add "Dode virus" before "in Pu'er"

line 168, add "other" before "two sequenced strains". Which bat species were "the two sequenced strains" from?

lines 166-175, "strains" should be replaced with "sequences"

line 176, should be lineage, not lineages

line 183, how to define the lineage? In the M tree, lineage 4 did not form a distinct clade. ML trees based on partial S and M must be needed.

line 197, 42 or 43? why XSVS from Pu'er were not selected to get the full S and M gene? add "related to" before 2 LQUVs

line 198, ull-length, mistake

line 199, "hantaviruses (the ML trees produced similar topologies; Figs 3A and B). ",should be "hantaviruses. The ML trees produced similar topologies (Figs 3A and B)."

lines 211-214 should be revised

lines 220-223, which gens was compared with genus Loanvirus

lines 233 and 238, delete Seoul virus and Hantaan virus

lines 239 and 240, the rodent species name should be italicized

line 242, R. tanezumi, should be Apodemus agrarius

line 265, delete "a lineage 5 variant or"

lines 273-274, "The hosts of XSV are all of the genus Hipposideros." should be revised

lines 275-278, "underwent a host-switching event with the local bat population", were bats within genus Hipposideros collected in this study positive for XSV?

line 279, batch? right?

line 286, imposible, why?

lines 286-290, delete these sentences

We cannot make any decision about publication until we have seen the revised manuscript and your response to the reviewers' comments. Your revised manuscript is also likely to be sent to reviewers for further evaluation.

When you are ready to resubmit, please upload the following:

[1] A letter containing a detailed list of your responses to the review comments and a description of the changes you have made in the manuscript. Please note while forming your response, if your article is accepted, you may have the opportunity to make the peer review history publicly available. The record will include editor decision letters (with reviews) and your responses to reviewer comments. If eligible, we will contact you to opt in or out.

[2] Two versions of the revised manuscript: one with either highlights or tracked changes denoting where the text has been changed; the other a clean version (uploaded as the manuscript file).

Important additional instructions are given below your reviewer comments.

Please prepare and submit your revised manuscript within 60 days. If you anticipate any delay, please let us know the expected resubmission date by replying to this email. Please note that revised manuscripts received after the 60-day due date may require evaluation and peer review similar to newly submitted manuscripts.

Thank you again for your submission. We hope that our editorial process has been constructive so far, and we welcome your feedback at any time. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Wen-Ping Guo

Academic Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Andrea Marzi

Section Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************

line 94, bat-associated hantaviruses were also identified in Zhejiang and Hubei

lines 112-113, Chu xiong, Hong he, De hong, Nu jiang, Xi shuang ban na and Da li, should be Chuxiong, Honghe, Dehong, Nujiang, Xishuangbanna and Dali

line 115, add ℃ after -80

line120, Tianamp virus RNA kit, from which coporation?

line 139, Poisson model, why was this model used?

line 144, Rattus norvegicus, should be italicized

line 151, add "and" before "the positive rate was 25%"

line 155, "murinae", should be "Muridae"

line 156, add "based on L gene sequences" before "was constructed"

line 166, "RDRP sequences", should be L gene sequences

line 164, add "other" before "two strains"

line 167, add "Dode virus" before "in Pu'er"

line 168, add "other" before "two sequenced strains". Which bat species were "the two sequenced strains" from?

lines 166-175, "strains" should be replaced with "sequences"

line 176, should be lineage, not lineages

line 183, how to define the lineage? In the M tree, lineage 4 did not form a distinct clade. ML trees based on partial S and M must be needed.

line 197, 42 or 43? why XSVS from Pu'er were not selected to get the full S and M gene? add "related to" before 2 LQUVs

line 198, ull-length, mistake

line 199, "hantaviruses (the ML trees produced similar topologies; Figs 3A and B). ",should be "hantaviruses. The ML trees produced similar topologies (Figs 3A and B)."

lines 211-214 should be revised

lines 220-223, which gens was compared with genus Loanvirus

lines 233 and 238, delete Seoul virus and Hantaan virus

lines 239 and 240, the rodent species name should be italicized

line 242, R. tanezumi, should be Apodemus agrarius

line 265, delete "a lineage 5 variant or"

lines 273-274, "The hosts of XSV are all of the genus Hipposideros." should be revised

lines 275-278, "underwent a host-switching event with the local bat population", were bats within genus Hipposideros collected in this study positive for XSV?

line 279, batch? right?

line 286, imposible, why?

lines 286-290, delete these sentences

Figure Files:

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email us at figures@plos.org.

Data Requirements:

Please note that, as a condition of publication, PLOS' data policy requires that you make available all data used to draw the conclusions outlined in your manuscript. Data must be deposited in an appropriate repository, included within the body of the manuscript, or uploaded as supporting information. This includes all numerical values that were used to generate graphs, histograms etc.. For an example see here: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001908#s5.

Reproducibility:

To enhance the reproducibility of your results, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io, where a protocol can be assigned its own identifier (DOI) such that it can be cited independently in the future. Additionally, PLOS ONE offers an option to publish peer-reviewed clinical study protocols. Read more information on sharing protocols at https://plos.org/protocols?utm_medium=editorial-email&utm_source=authorletters&utm_campaign=protocols

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012437.r007

Decision Letter 3

Andrea Marzi, Wen-Ping Guo

30 Jul 2024

Dear Prof. Wang,

Thank you very much for submitting your manuscript "Distribution and Genetic Characterization of Hantaviruses in Bats and Rodents from Yunnan" for consideration at PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. As with all papers reviewed by the journal, your manuscript was reviewed by members of the editorial board and by several independent reviewers. The reviewers appreciated the attention to an important topic. Based on the reviews, we are likely to accept this manuscript for publication, providing that you modify the manuscript according to the review recommendations.

1. the bat species name should be italicized, such as lines 277-278, please check carefully throughout the text

2. lines 276-278 "Among the 43 XSV-positive samples in Nujiang, 40 were from H. gentilis, while the remaining 3 were from Rhinolophus sinicus (2 samples) and Hipposideros armiger (1 sample)." and 284 "Considering that its hosts include R. affinis", the bats name positive for XSV and LSHV should be also showed in result section.

Please prepare and submit your revised manuscript within 30 days. If you anticipate any delay, please let us know the expected resubmission date by replying to this email.

When you are ready to resubmit, please upload the following:

[1] A letter containing a detailed list of your responses to all review comments, and a description of the changes you have made in the manuscript.

Please note while forming your response, if your article is accepted, you may have the opportunity to make the peer review history publicly available. The record will include editor decision letters (with reviews) and your responses to reviewer comments. If eligible, we will contact you to opt in or out

[2] Two versions of the revised manuscript: one with either highlights or tracked changes denoting where the text has been changed; the other a clean version (uploaded as the manuscript file).

Important additional instructions are given below your reviewer comments.

Thank you again for your submission to our journal. We hope that our editorial process has been constructive so far, and we welcome your feedback at any time. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Wen-Ping Guo

Academic Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Andrea Marzi

Section Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************

1. the bat species name should be italicized, such as lines 277-278, please check carefully throughout the text

2. lines 276-278 "Among the 43 XSV-positive samples in Nujiang, 40 were from H. gentilis, while the remaining 3 were from Rhinolophus sinicus (2 samples) and Hipposideros armiger (1 sample)." and 284 "Considering that its hosts include R. affinis", the bats name positive for XSV and LSHV should be also showed in result section.

Figure Files:

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email us at figures@plos.org.

Data Requirements:

Please note that, as a condition of publication, PLOS' data policy requires that you make available all data used to draw the conclusions outlined in your manuscript. Data must be deposited in an appropriate repository, included within the body of the manuscript, or uploaded as supporting information. This includes all numerical values that were used to generate graphs, histograms etc.. For an example see here: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001908#s5.

Reproducibility:

To enhance the reproducibility of your results, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io, where a protocol can be assigned its own identifier (DOI) such that it can be cited independently in the future. Additionally, PLOS ONE offers an option to publish peer-reviewed clinical study protocols. Read more information on sharing protocols at https://plos.org/protocols?utm_medium=editorial-email&utm_source=authorletters&utm_campaign=protocols

References

Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article's retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012437.r009

Decision Letter 4

Andrea Marzi, Wen-Ping Guo

5 Aug 2024

Dear Prof. Wang,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript 'Distribution and Genetic Characterization of Hantaviruses in Bats and Rodents from Yunnan' has been provisionally accepted for publication in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Before your manuscript can be formally accepted you will need to complete some formatting changes, which you will receive in a follow up email. A member of our team will be in touch with a set of requests.

Please note that your manuscript will not be scheduled for publication until you have made the required changes, so a swift response is appreciated.

IMPORTANT: The editorial review process is now complete. PLOS will only permit corrections to spelling, formatting or significant scientific errors from this point onwards. Requests for major changes, or any which affect the scientific understanding of your work, will cause delays to the publication date of your manuscript.

Should you, your institution's press office or the journal office choose to press release your paper, you will automatically be opted out of early publication. We ask that you notify us now if you or your institution is planning to press release the article. All press must be co-ordinated with PLOS.

Thank you again for supporting Open Access publishing; we are looking forward to publishing your work in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Best regards,

Wen-Ping Guo

Academic Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Andrea Marzi

Section Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************************************************

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012437.r010

Acceptance letter

Andrea Marzi, Wen-Ping Guo

21 Aug 2024

Dear Prof. Wang,

We are delighted to inform you that your manuscript, "Distribution and Genetic Characterization of Hantaviruses in Bats and Rodents from Yunnan," has been formally accepted for publication in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

We have now passed your article onto the PLOS Production Department who will complete the rest of the publication process. All authors will receive a confirmation email upon publication.

The corresponding author will soon be receiving a typeset proof for review, to ensure errors have not been introduced during production. Please review the PDF proof of your manuscript carefully, as this is the last chance to correct any scientific or type-setting errors. Please note that major changes, or those which affect the scientific understanding of the work, will likely cause delays to the publication date of your manuscript. Note: Proofs for Front Matter articles (Editorial, Viewpoint, Symposium, Review, etc...) are generated on a different schedule and may not be made available as quickly.

Soon after your final files are uploaded, the early version of your manuscript will be published online unless you opted out of this process. The date of the early version will be your article's publication date. The final article will be published to the same URL, and all versions of the paper will be accessible to readers.

Thank you again for supporting open-access publishing; we are looking forward to publishing your work in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Best regards,

Shaden Kamhawi

co-Editor-in-Chief

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Paul Brindley

co-Editor-in-Chief

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Associated Data

    This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

    Supplementary Materials

    S1 Fig. ML tree constructed from the amino acid sequences corresponding to the entire M and S CDSs of bat-borne hantaviruses.

    (TIF)

    pntd.0012437.s001.tif (363.8KB, tif)
    S1 Table. Prevalence of hantavirus in bats and rodents by species and location in Yunnan.

    (XLSX)

    pntd.0012437.s002.xlsx (12.1KB, xlsx)
    S2 Table. The primers for amplification of the full-length M- and S-segments.

    (XLSX)

    pntd.0012437.s003.xlsx (12.7KB, xlsx)
    S3 Table. Accession numbers of published sequences for all strains.

    (XLSX)

    pntd.0012437.s004.xlsx (10.8KB, xlsx)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: resubmission_cover_letter-5.3.docx

    pntd.0012437.s005.docx (637.1KB, docx)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: resubmission_cover_letter-6.26.docx

    pntd.0012437.s006.docx (17.7KB, docx)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: resubmission_cover_letter-7.24.docx

    pntd.0012437.s007.docx (17KB, docx)
    Attachment

    Submitted filename: resubmission_cover_letter-7.31.docx

    pntd.0012437.s008.docx (14.7KB, docx)

    Data Availability Statement

    All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.


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