Résumé
Astroviruses (AstVs) are viruses that are transmitted directly or indirectly through food or water. Generally responsible for diarrhea, particularly in children under 5 years of age and the elderly, they can cause neurological complications in immunocompromised individuals. AstVs belong to the Astroviridae family which includes the Mamastrovirus genus for mammalian AstVs and the Avastrovirus genus for avian AstVs. Originally thought to be very species specific, recent evidences have reported the possibility of a same AstV to infect different host species. To this end, in order to improve the knowledge on their distribution, genetic diversity and potential zoonotic risk, AstVs were investigated by molecular biology in bats, non-human primates, rodents, dogs and small ruminants in natural environment or at the human/animal interface in Gabon. They were detected in bats, primates, rodents and small ruminants with prevalences ranging from 1.5 to 7.14%, with a high genetic diversity found within the Mamastrovirus genus. These AstVs were specific to their host species, thus indicating a low zoonotic risk. On the other hand, the identification of HAstV-5, a human AstV in a mandrill confirmed the zoonotic characteristic of these viruses, however, questions remain about their possibility to return to humans and thus cause epidemics of diarrhea.