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Microorganisms
Volume 14
Issue 1
10.3390/microorganisms14010083
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Phylogenetic Characteristics and High Prevalence of a Merbecovirus in Hedgehogs from Greenspace of a Metropolis, China

by
Biao Deng
1,2,†,
Nuo Cheng
1,3,†,
Cheng Li
1,4,
Xiao-Yang Wang
4,
Xiao-Ling Su
1,
Yi Sun
1,
Jia-Fu Jiang
1,
Luo-Yuan Xia
1,* and
Wu-Chun Cao
1,*
1
State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing 100071, China
2
The Hospital of Yunnan Provincial Corps of the Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces, Yunnan 650100, China
3
Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 102629, China
4
School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this manuscript.
Microorganisms 2026, 14(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14010083 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 3 November 2025 / Revised: 23 December 2025 / Accepted: 28 December 2025 / Published: 30 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Virology)
Versions Notes

Abstract

SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 have posed tremendous threats to human health, highlighting the necessity of monitoring cross-species transmission of animal coronaviruses to humans. Hedgehogs infected with coronaviruses have been reported in several countries across Europe and Asia, raising concerns about the potential transmission of coronaviruses from hedgehogs to humans. In this study, we investigated coronavirus infections in hedgehogs inhabiting greenspaces in metropolitan Beijing and identified a Merbecovirus subgenus coronavirus with a prevalence rate of 30% (95% CI: 25–35%) among 317 hedgehogs. Phylogenetic analysis of 23 complete viral genome sequences revealed a monophyletic origin, showing close relatedness to Erinaceus hedgehog coronavirus HKU31 (Ea-HedCoV HKU31) with genome-wide nucleotide identities of 93.24–96.42%, and evidence of recombination with Tylonycteris bat coronavirus HKU4. These findings suggest that the increase in wildlife populations associated with urban greenspace development may pose a potential threat to human health that should not be overlooked.
Keywords: Merbecovirus; hedgehog; urban greenspaces; viral evolution; viral recombination; cross-species transmission Merbecovirus; hedgehog; urban greenspaces; viral evolution; viral recombination; cross-species transmission

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Deng, B.; Cheng, N.; Li, C.; Wang, X.-Y.; Su, X.-L.; Sun, Y.; Jiang, J.-F.; Xia, L.-Y.; Cao, W.-C. Phylogenetic Characteristics and High Prevalence of a Merbecovirus in Hedgehogs from Greenspace of a Metropolis, China. Microorganisms 2026, 14, 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14010083

AMA Style

Deng B, Cheng N, Li C, Wang X-Y, Su X-L, Sun Y, Jiang J-F, Xia L-Y, Cao W-C. Phylogenetic Characteristics and High Prevalence of a Merbecovirus in Hedgehogs from Greenspace of a Metropolis, China. Microorganisms. 2026; 14(1):83. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14010083

Chicago/Turabian Style

Deng, Biao, Nuo Cheng, Cheng Li, Xiao-Yang Wang, Xiao-Ling Su, Yi Sun, Jia-Fu Jiang, Luo-Yuan Xia, and Wu-Chun Cao. 2026. "Phylogenetic Characteristics and High Prevalence of a Merbecovirus in Hedgehogs from Greenspace of a Metropolis, China" Microorganisms 14, no. 1: 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14010083

APA Style

Deng, B., Cheng, N., Li, C., Wang, X.-Y., Su, X.-L., Sun, Y., Jiang, J.-F., Xia, L.-Y., & Cao, W.-C. (2026). Phylogenetic Characteristics and High Prevalence of a Merbecovirus in Hedgehogs from Greenspace of a Metropolis, China. Microorganisms, 14(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14010083

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