Genome Analysis of Bat Adenovirus 2: Indications of Interspecies Transmission

The genome of bat adenovirus 2 was sequenced and analyzed. It is similar in size (31,616 bp) to the genomes of bat adenovirus 3 and canine adenoviruses 1 and 2. These four viruses are monophyletic and share an identical genome organization, with one E3 gene and four E4 genes unique to this group among the mastadenoviruses. These findings suggest that canine adenoviruses may have originated by interspecies transfer of a vespertilionid bat adenovirus.