Sequencing and molecular modeling identifies candidate members of Caliciviridae family in bats

• Two novel bat caliciviruses were genetically characterized.
• Mature viral capsids were molecularly modeled.
• Bat caliciviruses are highly heterogeneous genetically.
• The two novel viruses are genetically related to valoviruses and sapoviruses.
• New sequences were most closely related to Chinese sequences.

Emerging viral diseases represent an ongoing challenge for globalized world and bats constitute an immense, partially explored, reservoir of potentially zoonotic viruses. Caliciviruses are important human and animal pathogens and, as observed for human noroviruses, they may impact on human health on a global scale. By screening fecal samples of bats in Hungary, calicivirus RNA was identified in the samples of Myotis daubentonii and Eptesicus serotinus bats. In order to characterize more in detail the bat caliciviruses, large portions of the genome sequence of the viruses were determined. Phylogenetic analyses and molecular modeling identified firmly the two viruses as candidate members within the Caliciviridae family, with one calicivirus strain resembling members of the Sapovirus genus and the other bat calicivirus being more related to porcine caliciviruses of the proposed genus Valovirus. This data serves the effort for detecting reservoir hosts for potential emerging viruses and recognize important evolutionary relationships.