A new member of the Pteropine Orthoreovirus species isolated from fruit bats imported to Italy

•A new Pteropine Orthoreovirus has been isolated from flying foxes imported to Italy.•It is genetically similar to Melaka virus which is responsible for RTI in humans.•Our findings highlight the importance of flying foxes as vectors of potentially zoonotic viruses.

A novel member of the Pteropine Orthoreovirus species has been isolated and sequenced for the whole genome from flying foxes (Pteropus vampyrus) imported to Italy from Indonesia. The new isolate named Indonesia/2010 is genetically similar to Melaka virus which has been the first virus of this species to be shown to be responsible for human respiratory disease. Our findings highlight the importance of flying foxes as vectors of potentially zoonotic viruses and the biological hazard that lies in the import of animals from geographical areas that are ecologically diverse from Europe.