The large virus family Paramyxoviridae includes some of the most significant human andlivestock viruses, such as measles-, distemper-, mumps-, parainfluenza-, newcastle disease-,respiratory syncytial virus and metapneumoviruses. Here we identify an estimated 66 newparamyxoviruses in a worldwide sample of 119 bat and rodent species (9,278 individuals).major discoveries include evidence of an origin of Hendra- and nipah virus in Africa,identification of a bat virus conspecific with the human mumps virus, detection of close relativesof respiratory syncytial virus, mouse pneumonia- and canine distemper virus in bats, as well asdirect evidence of sendai virus in rodents. Phylogenetic reconstruction of host associationssuggests a predominance of host switches from bats to other mammals and birds. Hypothesistests in a maximum likelihood framework permit the phylogenetic placement of bats as tentativehosts at ancestral nodes to both the major Paramyxoviridae subfamilies (Paramyxovirinae andPneumovirinae). Future attempts to predict the emergence of novel paramyxoviruses in humansand livestock will have to rely fundamentally on these data.
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