Shrews (family Soricidae) are tiny mole-shaped mammals belong to the order Eulipotyphla. The main objective of this study is to screen wild specimens of shrews for specific RNA viruses cause hemorrhagic fevers. Wild specimens of shrews were collected from rural areas in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Collection of shrews were carried out from the traps then identified using the classical morphological keys. Specimens were dissected then extraction of single stranded RNA of shrews was performed from internal organs including lungs, livers, kidneys, and stomach using QiagenRNeasy Mini Kit. RT-PCR was utilized for screening of Crimean- Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV), and Chikengunya virus (CHIKV), and Sindbis virus (SINV). The results revealed SINV, CHIKV, and CCHFV were all found in the internal viscera of shrews in four different groups. This demonstrated that the viruses were propagating and spreading throughout the tissues of the shrews.

Conclusions

Depending to our knowledge results of this study constitute first record in Kingdom Saudi Arabia and significantly highlight some of the neglected wild reservoirs of arboviruses; therefore future studies should focus on evaluating other hosts, including bats.

中文翻译：

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在沙特阿拉伯不同栖息地采集的野鼩中检测到一些出血热病毒：中东首次记录

鼩鼱（鼩鼱科）是属于Eulipotyphla目的微小鼹鼠形哺乳动物。这项研究的主要目的是筛选野生鼩鼱标本，找出引起出血热的特定 RNA 病毒。鼩鼱的野生标本采集自沙特阿拉伯王国的农村地区。

从陷阱中收集鼩鼱，然后使用经典的形态学关键字进行识别。解剖标本，然后使用 QiagenRNeasy Mini Kit 从肺、肝、肾和胃等内脏器官中提取鼩鼱的单链 RNA。RT-PCR用于筛选克里米亚-刚果出血热病毒(CCHFV)、裂谷热病毒(RVFV)、基肯肯雅病毒(CHIKV)和辛德毕斯病毒(SINV)。结果显示SINV、CHIKV和CCHFV均存在于4个不同组鼩鼱的内脏中。这表明病毒正在鼩鼱的整个组织中繁殖和传播。

结论

根据我们的知识，这项研究的结果构成了沙特阿拉伯王国的第一项记录，并显着突出了一些被忽视的虫媒病毒野生宿主；因此，未来的研究应侧重于评估其他宿主，包括蝙蝠。