Detection and molecular analysis of betacoronaviruses (family Coronaviridae) in hedgehogs (Erinaceus roumanicus) in Hungary

TL;DR

This study found betacoronaviruses in Hungarian hedgehogs and analyzed their genetic similarity to other European strains.

Contribution

The study reports the detection and molecular analysis of betacoronaviruses in Erinaceus roumanicus hedgehogs in Hungary.

Findings

27.4% of 84 hedgehog fecal samples tested positive for betacoronaviruses.

The spike protein genes from positive samples showed 91–94% nucleotide and amino acid identity to each other.

Hedgehog betacoronaviruses form genetic lineages specific to geography and host species in Europe and Asia.

Abstract

In this study, the presence of a betacoronavirus (species Betacoronavirus erinacei, genus Betacoronavirus, family Coronaviridae) was investigated in faecal samples collected from northern white-breasted hedgehogs (Erinaceus roumanicus) in different sampling areas in Hungary using reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and sequencing methods. A total of 23 (27.4%) of the 84 specimens were positive for betacoronaviruses (PX460030-PX460052), and the region of the viral genome encoding the complete spike protein was sequenced for eight of the positive samples. The complete spike genes from these eight specimens showed 91–94% nucleotide (nt) and 92–94% amino acid (aa) sequence identity to each other and 86–91% nt and 87–92% aa sequence identity to the other European hedgehog coronavirus strains. Hedgehog betacoronavirus is a common and widespread infectious agent in the three hedgehog species (E. europaeus, E. amurensis, and, based on this study, E. roumanicus) studied in Europe and Asia so far, with geographical and probably host-species-specific genetic lineages.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00705-025-06506-z.

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