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Zhao X, Dai C, Qian S, Tang Q, Li L, Hao Y, Zhou Z, Ge X, Gong C, Yuan J. Viral Diversity and Epidemiology in Critically Endangered Yangtze Finless Porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0081023. [PMID: 37265414 PMCID: PMC10434060 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00810-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The Yangtze finless porpoise (YFP) (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) is a critically endangered freshwater cetacean, with about 1,249 individuals thought to be left in the wild. However, viral entities and viral diseases of YFPs remain obscure. In this study, anal swabs for virome analysis were collected during the physical examination of YFPs in the Tian-E-Zhou Oxbow (TEO) ex situ reserve. A total of 19 eukaryotic viral species belonging to 9 families, including Papillomaviridae, Herpesviridae, Picornaviridae, Picobirnaviridae, Caliciviridae, Retroviridae, Parvoviridae, Virgaviridae, and Narnaviridae, and other unclassified viruses were identified based on metasequencing. Among these detected viruses, a novel herpesvirus (NaHV), two different kobuviruses (NaKV1-2), and six different papillomaviruses (NaPV1 to -6) were considered potential risks to YFPs and confirmed by PCR or reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Most YFPs sampled were found to harbor one or more kinds of detected viral genomes (52/58 [89.7%]). Surveillance results demonstrated that kobuvirus and herpesvirus displayed obvious age distribution and PVs showed significant gender difference in YFPs. According to species demarcation criteria in individual genera in Papillomaviridae, two novel species (referred to as Omikronpapillomavirus 2 and 3) and four novel isolates of PV were identified in YFPs. Further evolutionary analysis suggested that NaPVs would occupy the mucosal niche and that virus-host codivergence mixed with duplications and host-switching events drives the evolution of cetacean PVs. Divergence times of PVs in YFP and other cetacean reflect the incipient speciation of YFPs. In summary, our findings revealed the potential viral entities, their prevalence, and their evolutionary history in YFPs, which raises an important issue regarding effects of viral infection on the fitness of YFPs. IMPORTANCE The Yangtze finless porpoise (YFP) is the only cetacean species in freshwater following the functional extinction of the baiji (Lipotes vexillifer). Health management, disease treatment, and other special measures are important for maintaining the existing YFP populations, especially in in situ and ex situ reserves. The discovery of potential viral entities and their prevalence in YFPs raises an important issue regarding the effects of viral infection on the fitness of YFPs and may contribute to the conservation of YFPs. The evolutionary history of papillomaviruses in YFP and other cetaceans reflects the phylogeny of their hosts and supports the status of incipient species, opening a window to investigate the evolutionary adaptation of cetaceans to freshwater as well as their phylogeny to remedy the deficiency of fossil evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhao
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Caijiao Dai
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shiyu Qian
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qing Tang
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lijuan Li
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- Hubei Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yujiang Hao
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhijian Zhou
- College of Biology & Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Hunan University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xingyi Ge
- College of Biology & Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Hunan University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China
| | - Cheng Gong
- Tian-e-zhou National Reserve for Lipotes Vexillifer, Shishou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Junfa Yuan
- Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- Hubei Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
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Lu W, Tong J, Zhang X, Zhu B, Dong W. Underwater Noise Level Recordings from a Water Intake Pontoon and Possible Impacts on Yangtze Finless Porpoises in a Natural Reserve. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12172183. [PMID: 36077903 PMCID: PMC9454443 DOI: 10.3390/ani12172183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Underwater noise pollution caused by human activities may affect freshwater cetaceans to different degrees. To analyze the impacts of water intake pontoons on Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis), this study collected underwater noise data from such a pontoon in a nature reserve, plotted the power spectral density of acoustic signals, and calculated the root mean square sound pressure levels and the magnitude of sound source levels. The 1/3-octave sound pressure level root mean square values at the transient holding pens were <18.0 kHz, 39.5−60.0 kHz, which were slightly higher than the Yangtze finless porpoise hearing threshold curve values and therefore could be perceived. However, the results indicated that the porpoises would not develop a temporary hearing threshold shift. Meanwhile, pontoon noise did not interfere with the porpoises’ high-frequency acoustic signal nor did it affect their echolocation; it significantly interfered with their low-frequency acoustic signal, however, and the mother−child communication of the finless porpoises was affected, but this effect was quickly compensated due to the limited space range of the holding pens. Through this study of Yangtze finless porpoises, this paper provides a reference for assessing whether human facilities have impacts on freshwater cetaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfei Lu
- College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
- Joint Laboratory for Monitoring and Conservation of Aquatic Living Resources in the Yangtze Estuary, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Jianfeng Tong
- College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
- Joint Laboratory for Monitoring and Conservation of Aquatic Living Resources in the Yangtze Estuary, Shanghai 201306, China
- National Distant-Water Fisheries Engineering Research Center, Shanghai 201306, China
- Correspondence: (J.T.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xianfeng Zhang
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
- Correspondence: (J.T.); (X.Z.)
| | - Bin Zhu
- Institute of Hydroecology, MWR&CAS, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Weiwei Dong
- Institute of Hydroecology, MWR&CAS, Wuhan 430079, China
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Blood Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Gene Expression Differences between Yangtze Finless Porpoises from Two Habitats: Natural and Ex Situ Protected Waters. FISHES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/fishes7030096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis, YFP) is a critically endangered small odontocete species, mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Poyang Lake, and Dongting Lake. Under the influence of human activities, many factors are threatening the survival and reproduction of YFPs in their natural habitat. Ex situ conservation is of great significance to strengthen the rescuing conservation of YFPs by providing suitable alternative habitats and promoting the reproduction and growth of the ex situ population. To reveal the differences in gene expression of YFPs in natural and ex situ protected waters, and to investigate the effects of environmental factors on YFPs and their mechanisms, we performed transcriptome sequencing for blood tissues of YFPs collected from natural waters and ex situ protected waters. Using RNA-seq we identified 4613 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 4485 were up-regulated and 128 were down-regulated in the natural population. GO analysis showed that DEGs were significantly enriched in entries related to binding, catalytic activity, and biological regulation; KEGG analysis showed that DEGs were enriched mainly in signal transduction, endocrine system, immune system, and sensory system-related pathways. Further analysis revealed that water pollution in natural waters may affect the hormone secretion of YFPs by altering the expression pattern of endocrine genes, thus interfering with normal endocrine activities; noise pollution may induce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in YFPs, thus impairing the auditory function of YFPs. This study provides a new perspective for further research on the effect of habitat conditions on the YFPs and suggests that improving the habitat environment may help in the conservation of YFPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songhai Li
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Mingming Liu
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
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