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Background: Smacovirus is a CRESS-DNA virus identified almost exclusively in transient fecal samples from various vertebrate species. Objective: We evaluated human vaginal samples for the presence and maintenance of Smacovirus. Methods: Viral metagenomics analysis was performed on vaginal samples collected from 28 apparently healthy women in New York City, USA. Twenty-one of the women provided duplicate samples over a 12–21-day interval. Results: Phylogenetic analysis identified two samples from the same individual, collected over a twelve-day interval, that were positive for the complete Smacovirus genome. All detected sequence contigs belonged to a single variant of CRESS-DNA. Conclusions: The continuous presence of Smacovirus in the human vagina over a twelve-day period was identified.

Metagenomic studies of mosquito viromes demonstrated a more diverse composition than just an exclusive composition of pathogenic arboviruses transmitted to humans. In our study, the virome of 866 female mosquitoes collected throughout 2020 at the São Paulo Zoo, located in the city of São Paulo/SP—Brazil, was obtained. Specifically, in this paper, we describe a new virus found by viral RNA extraction and next-generation MiSeq sequencing of a group of 23 specimens of Anopheles (Nys.) strodei. The complete genome with a length of 9709 nucleotides was characterized by a positive orientation and a single strand, with a single large ORF, which encodes a polyprotein of 2987 amino acids. The phylogenetic analysis showed an association with the viral family Iflaviridae and the Riboviria realm. We carried out comparisons with translated sequences of the capsid regions of other iflavirus, and the identities in relation to our sequence were below the minimum limit of 90%, indicating that possibly it is a new species of iflavirus. Our findings contribute to expanding knowledge of virome composition among mosquito species in Brazil and globally. Moreover, we provide a viral genome reference specific to this geographic region and Culicidae family of mosquitoes. This resource facilitates future in silico recognition and assembly of viral genomes within metagenomic datasets.

The Totiviridae family of viruses has a unique genome consisting of double-stranded RNA with two open reading frames that encode the capsid protein (Cap) and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRpol). Most virions in this family are isometric in shape, approximately 40 nm in diameter, and lack an envelope. There are five genera within this family, including Totivirus, Victorivirus, Giardiavirus, Leishmaniavirus, and Trichomonasvirus. While Totivirus and Victorivirus primarily infect fungi, Giardiavirus, Leishmaniavirus, and Trichomonasvirus infect diverse hosts, including protists, insects, and vertebrates. Recently, new totivirus-like species have been discovered in fish and plant hosts, and through metagenomic analysis, a novel totivirus-like virus (named Tianjin totivirus) has been isolated from bat guano. Interestingly, Tianjin totivirus causes cytopathic effects in insect cells but cannot grow in mammalian cells, suggesting that it infects insects consumed by insectivorous bats. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing and identified totivirus-like viruses in liver tissue from Molossus molossus bats in the Amazon region of Brazil. Comparative phylogenetic analysis based on the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase region revealed that the viruses identified in Molossus bats belong to two distinct phylogenetic clades, possibly comprising different genera within the Totiviridae family. Notably, the mean similarity between the Tianjin totivirus and the totiviruses identified in Molossus bats is less than 18%. These findings suggest that the diversity of totiviruses in bats is more extensive than previously recognized and highlight the potential for bats to serve as reservoirs for novel toti-like viruses.

Chaphamaparvovirus (CHPV) is a recently characterized genus of the Parvoviridae family whose members can infect different hosts, including bats, which constitute the second most diverse order of mammals and are described worldwide as important transmitters of zoonotic diseases. In this study, we identified a new CHPV in bat samples from the municipality of Santarém (Pará state, North Brazil). A total of 18 Molossus molossus bats were analyzed using viral metagenomics. In five animals, we identified CHPVs. These CHPV sequences presented the genome with a size ranging from 3797 to 4284 bp. Phylogenetic analysis-based nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the VP1 and NS1 regions showed that all CHPV sequences are monophyletic. They are also closely related to CHPV sequences previously identified in bats in southern and southeast Brazil. According to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) classification criteria for this species (the CHPV NS1 gene region must have 85% identity to be classified in the same species), our sequences are likely a new specie within the genus Chaphamaparvovirus, since they have less than 80% identity with other CHPV described earlier in bats. We also make some phylogenetic considerations about the interaction between CHPV and their host. We suggest a high level of specificity of CPHV and its hosts. Thus, the findings contribute to improving information about the viral diversity of parvoviruses and show the importance of better investigating bats, considering that they harbor a variety of viruses that may favor zoonotic events.

The simultaneous transmission of two lineages of the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was discovered after the pathogen’s initial arrival in Brazil. In Oiapoque (Amapá state, north Brazil), the Asian lineage (CHIKV-Asian) was discovered, while in Bahia state, the East-Central-South-African lineage (CHIKV-ECSA) was discovered (northeast Brazil). Since then, the CHIKV-Asian lineage has been restricted to the Amazon region (mostly in the state of Amapá), whereas the ECSA lineage has expanded across the country. Despite the fact that the Asian lineage was already present in the Amazon region, the ECSA lineage brought from the northeast caused a large outbreak in the Amazonian state of Roraima (north Brazil) in 2017. Here, CHIKV spread in the Amazon region was studied by a Zika–Dengue–Chikungunya PCR assay in 824 serum samples collected between 2013 and 2016 from individuals with symptoms of viral infection in the Amapá state. We found 11 samples positive for CHIKV-Asian, and, from these samples, we were able to retrieve 10 full-length viral genomes. A comprehensive phylogenetic study revealed that nine CHIKV sequences came from a local transmission cluster related to Caribbean strains, whereas one sequence was related to sequences from the Philippines. These findings imply that CHIKV spread in different ways in Roraima and Amapá, despite the fact that both states had similar climatic circumstances and mosquito vector frequencies.

Metagenomics based on the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique is a target-independent assay that enables the simultaneous detection and genomic characterization of all viruses present in a sample. There is a limited amount of data about the virome of individuals with gastroenteritis (GI). In this study, the enteric virome of 250 individuals (92% were children under 5 years old) with GI living in the northeastern and northern regions of Brazil was characterized. Fecal samples were subjected to NGS, and the metagenomic analysis of virus-like particles (VLPs) identified 11 viral DNA families and 12 viral RNA families. As expected, the highest percentage of viral sequences detected were those commonly associated with GI, including rotavirus, adenovirus, norovirus (94.8%, 82% and 71.2%, respectively). The most common co-occurrences, in a single individual, were the combinations of rotavirus-adenovirus, rotavirus-norovirus, and norovirus-adenovirus (78%, 69%, and 62%, respectively). In the same way, common fecal-emerging human viruses were also detected, such as parechovirus, bocaporvirus, cosavirus, picobirnavirus, cardiovirus, salivirus, and Aichivirus. In addition, viruses that infect plants, nematodes, fungi, protists, animals, and arthropods could be identified. A large number of unclassified viral contigs were also identified. We show that the metagenomics approach is a powerful and promising tool for the detection and characterization of different viruses in clinical GI samples.

Echoviruses (E) are a diverse group of viruses responsible for various pathological conditions in humans including aseptic meningitis, myocarditis, and acute flaccid paralysis. The detection and identification of echovirus genotypes in clinical samples is challenging due to its high genetic diversity. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of nine echoviruses, obtained by next-generation sequencing of 238 fecal samples from individuals with gastroenteritis in regions of Brazil. Detected viruses were classified into six genotypes: Three E1 sequences (BRA/TO-028, BRA/TO-069 and BRA/TO-236), one E3 (BRA/TO-018), one E11 (BRA/TO-086), one E20 (BRA/TO-016), two E29 (BRA/TO-030 and BRA/TO-193), and one E30 sequence (BRA/TO-032). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the echoviruses E1 and E29 circulating in Brazil are divergent from strains circulating worldwide. The genotype diversity identified in our study may under-represent the total echovirus diversity in Brazil because of the small sample size and the restricted geographical distribution covered by the survey.