• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: Highly Sensitive Virome Characterization of Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens Complex from Central Europe and the Caribbean Reveals Potential for Interspecies Viral Transmission
  • Contributor: Thannesberger, Jakob; Rascovan, Nicolas; Eisenmann, Anna; Klymiuk, Ingeborg; Zittra, Carina; Fuehrer, Hans-Peter; Scantlebury-Manning, Thea; Gittens-St.Hilaire, Marquita; Austin, Shane; Landis, Robert Clive; Steininger, Christoph
  • imprint: MDPI AG, 2020
  • Published in: Pathogens
  • Language: English
  • DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9090686
  • ISSN: 2076-0817
  • Keywords: Infectious Diseases ; Microbiology (medical) ; General Immunology and Microbiology ; Molecular Biology ; Immunology and Allergy
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: <jats:p>Mosquitoes are the most important vectors for arthropod-borne viral diseases. Mixed viral infections of mosquitoes allow genetic recombination or reassortment of diverse viruses, turning mosquitoes into potential virologic mixing bowls. In this study, we field-collected mosquitoes of different species (Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens complex), from different geographic locations and environments (central Europe and the Caribbean) for highly sensitive next-generation sequencing-based virome characterization. We found a rich virus community associated with a great diversity of host species. Among those, we detected a large diversity of novel virus sequences that we could predominately assign to circular Rep-encoding single-stranded (CRESS) DNA viruses, including the full-length genome of a yet undescribed Gemykrogvirus species. Moreover, we report for the first time the detection of a potentially zoonotic CRESS-DNA virus (Cyclovirus VN) in mosquito vectors. This study expands the knowledge on virus diversity in medically important mosquito vectors, especially for CRESS-DNA viruses that have previously been shown to easily recombine and jump the species barrier.</jats:p>
  • Access State: Open Access