Diversity and independent evolutionary profiling of rodent-borne
pathogens in tropical island, China
Abstract
The risk of emerging infectious diseases (EID) is increasing globally.
More than 60% of EIDs worldwide are caused by animal-borne pathogens,
and most viral pathogens are rodent-borne. This study aimed to
characterise the virome and analyse the phylogenetic evolution and
diversity of rodent-borne viruses in Hainan Province, China. We
collected 588 anal and throat samples from rodents, combined them into
28 pools according to their species and location, and processed them for
next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The diverse
viral reads closely related to mammals were assigned to 15 viral
families. Molecular clues of the important rodent-borne viruses were
further identified by polymerase chain reaction for phylogenetic
analysis and annotation of genetic characteristics such as coronavirus,
arenavirus, picornavirus. We identified a pestivirus in Leopoldoms
edwardsi and two bocaviruses in Rattus andamanensis and Leopoldoms
edwardsi from the national nature reserves of Jianfengling and Bangxi
with low amino acid identity to known pathogens are proposed as the
novel species, and their rodent hosts have not been previously reported
to carry these viruses. These results expand our knowledge of viral
classification and host range and suggest that there are highly diverse,
undiscovered viruses that have evolved independently in their unique
wildlife hosts in inaccessible areas, which may cause zoonosis if they
cross their host barrier. Our virome and phylogenetic analyses of
rodent-borne viruses provide basic data for the prevention and control
of human infectious diseases caused by rodent-borne viruses in the
subtropical area of China.