1. Virome characterization of game animals in China reveals a spectrum of emerging pathogens
- Author
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Wan-Ting He, Xin Hou, Jin Zhao, Jiumeng Sun, Haijian He, Wei Si, Jing Wang, Zhiwen Jiang, Ziqing Yan, Gang Xing, Meng Lu, Marc A. Suchard, Xiang Ji, Wenjie Gong, Biao He, Jun Li, Philippe Lemey, Deyin Guo, Changchun Tu, Edward C. Holmes, Mang Shi, and Shuo Su
- Subjects
Mammals ,China ,Virome ,viruses ,COVID-19 ,Animals, Wild ,Communicable Diseases, Emerging ,Article ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Coronavirus ,Zoonoses ,Animals ,Phylogeny ,Disease Reservoirs - Abstract
Game animals are wildlife species traded and consumed as food and are potential reservoirs for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. We performed a meta-transcriptomic analysis of 1,941 game animals, representing 18 species and five mammalian orders, sampled across China. From this, we identified 102 mammalian-infecting viruses, with 65 described for the first time. Twenty-one viruses were considered as potentially high risk to humans and domestic animals. Civets (Paguma larvata) carried the highest number of potentially high-risk viruses. We inferred the transmission of bat-associated coronavirus from bats to civets, as well as cross-species jumps of coronaviruses from bats to hedgehogs, from birds to porcupines, and from dogs to raccoon dogs. Of note, we identified avian Influenza A virus H9N2 in civets and Asian badgers, with the latter displaying respiratory symptoms, as well as cases of likely human-to-wildlife virus transmission. These data highlight the importance of game animals as potential drivers of disease emergence.
- Published
- 2022