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Wang D, Yang X, Ren Z, Hu B, Zhao H, Yang K, Shi P, Zhang Z, Feng Q, Nawenja CV, Obanda V, Robert K, Nalikka B, Waruhiu CN, Ochola GO, Onyuok SO, Ochieng H, Li B, Zhu Y, Si H, Yin J, Kristiansen K, Jin X, Xu X, Xiao M, Agwanda B, Ommeh S, Li J, Shi ZL. Substantial viral diversity in bats and rodents from East Africa: insights into evolution, recombination, and cocirculation. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:72. [PMID: 38600530 PMCID: PMC11005217 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01782-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Zoonotic viruses cause substantial public health and socioeconomic problems worldwide. Understanding how viruses evolve and spread within and among wildlife species is a critical step when aiming for proactive identification of viral threats to prevent future pandemics. Despite the many proposed factors influencing viral diversity, the genomic diversity and structure of viral communities in East Africa are largely unknown. RESULTS Using 38.3 Tb of metatranscriptomic data obtained via ultradeep sequencing, we screened vertebrate-associated viromes from 844 bats and 250 rodents from Kenya and Uganda collected from the wild. The 251 vertebrate-associated viral genomes of bats (212) and rodents (39) revealed the vast diversity, host-related variability, and high geographic specificity of viruses in East Africa. Among the surveyed viral families, Coronaviridae and Circoviridae showed low host specificity, high conservation of replication-associated proteins, high divergence among viral entry proteins, and frequent recombination. Despite major dispersal limitations, recurrent mutations, cocirculation, and occasional gene flow contribute to the high local diversity of viral genomes. CONCLUSIONS The present study not only shows the landscape of bat and rodent viromes in this zoonotic hotspot but also reveals genomic signatures driven by the evolution and dispersal of the viral community, laying solid groundwork for future proactive surveillance of emerging zoonotic pathogens in wildlife. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daxi Wang
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Xinglou Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Jiangxia Lab, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Zirui Ren
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Ben Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Hailong Zhao
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Kaixin Yang
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Peibo Shi
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Zhipeng Zhang
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Qikai Feng
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Carol Vannesa Nawenja
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Vincent Obanda
- Veterinary Services Department, Kenya Wildlife Service, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Kityo Robert
- Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, School of BioSciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Betty Nalikka
- Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, School of BioSciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Cecilia Njeri Waruhiu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Griphin Ochieng Ochola
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Mammalogy Section, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Samson Omondi Onyuok
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Mammalogy Section, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Harold Ochieng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Mammalogy Section, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Bei Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yan Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Haorui Si
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Karsten Kristiansen
- Laboratory of Genomics and Molecular Biomedicine, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Xin Jin
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Xun Xu
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Minfeng Xiao
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
| | - Bernard Agwanda
- Mammalogy Section, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Sheila Ommeh
- Center for Animal Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Junhua Li
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Unknown Pathogen Identification, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
| | - Zheng-Li Shi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
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