Evaluating the zoonotic potential of RNA viromes of rodents provides new insight into rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens in Guangdong, China
Boyang Yi,
Qiang Deng,
Cheng Guo,
Xiaokang Li,
Qin Wu,
Renyun Zha,
Xianhua Wang,
Jiahai Lu
Affiliations
Boyang Yi
School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; One Health Center of Excellence for Research & Training, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Qiang Deng
School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; One Health Center of Excellence for Research & Training, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Cheng Guo
Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York 10032, USA
Xiaokang Li
School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; One Health Center of Excellence for Research & Training, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Qin Wu
School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; One Health Center of Excellence for Research & Training, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Renyun Zha
School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; One Health Center of Excellence for Research & Training, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Xianhua Wang
School of Health Sciences, Guangzhou Xinhua University, Guangzhou 510520, China; Corresponding author.
Jiahai Lu
School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; One Health Center of Excellence for Research & Training, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; National Medical Products Administration Key Laboratory for Quality Monitoring and Evaluation of Vaccines and Biological Products, Guangzhou 510080, China; Hainan Key Novel Thinktank “Hainan Medical University ‘One Health’ Research Center”, Haikou 571199, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases Control, Sun Yat-Sen University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510080, China; Corresponding author at: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases have been on the rise, with a significant proportion being zoonotic. Rodents, as the natural reservoirs of numerous diverse zoonotic viruses, pose a substantial threat to human health. To investigate the diversity of known and unknown viruses harbored by rodents in Guangdong (southern province of China), we conducted a comprehensive analysis of viral genomes through metagenomic sequencing of organs from 194 rodents. Our analysis yielded 2163 viral contigs that were assigned to 25 families known to infect a wide range of hosts, including vertebrates, invertebrates, amoebas, and plants. The viral compositions vary considerably among different organs, but not in rodent species. We also assessed and prioritized zoonotic potential of those detected viruses. Ninety-two viral species that are either known to infect vertebrates and invertebrates or only vertebrates were identified, among which 21 are considered high-risk to humans. The high-risk viruses included members of the Hantavirus, Picobirnaviruses, Astroviruses and Pestivirus. The phylogenetic trees of four zoonotic viruses revealed features of novel viral genomes that seem to fit evolutionarily into a zone of viruses that potentially pose a risk of transmission to humans. Recognizing that zoonotic diseases are a One Health issue, we approached the problem of identifying the zoonotic risk from rodent-transmitted disease in the Guangdong province by performing next-generation sequencing to look for potentially zoonotic viruses in these animals.
