Transcriptomic Investigation of the Virus Spectrum Carried by Midges in Border Areas of Yunnan Province
Author:
Yang Lifen1, Wu Weichen2, Cai Sa13, Wang Jing2, Kuang Guopeng1ORCID, Yang Weihong1, Wang Juan1, Han Xi1, Pan Hong1, Shi Mang2ORCID, Feng Yun134
Affiliation:
1. Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Control and Prevention, Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control and Prevention, Dali 671000, China 2. State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, School of Medicine, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China 3. School of Public Health, Dali University, Dali 671000, China 4. State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Center for Global Change and Public Health, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Abstract
Yunnan province in China shares its borders with three neighboring countries: Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos. The region is characterized by a diverse climate and is known to be a suitable habitat for various arthropods, including midges which are notorious for transmitting diseases which pose significant health burdens affecting both human and animal health. A total of 431,100 midges were collected from 15 different locations in the border region of Yunnan province from 2015 to 2020. These midges were divided into 37 groups according to the collection year and sampling site. These 37 groups of midges were then homogenized to extract nucleic acid. Metatranscriptomics were used to analyze their viromes. Based on the obtained cytochrome C oxidase I gene (COI) sequences, three genera were identified, including one species of Forcipomyia, one species of Dasyhelea, and twenty-five species of Culicoides. We identified a total of 3199 viruses in five orders and 12 families, including 1305 single-stranded positive-stranded RNA viruses (+ssRNA) in two orders and seven families, 175 single-stranded negative-stranded RNA viruses (−ssRNA) in two orders and one family, and 1719 double-stranded RNA viruses in five families. Six arboviruses of economic importance were identified, namely Banna virus (BAV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Akabane virus (AKV), Bluetongue virus (BTV), Tibetan circovirus (TIBOV), and Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), all of which are capable, to varying extents, of causing disease in humans and/or animals. The survey sites in this study basically covered the current distribution area of midges in Yunnan province, which helps to predict the geographic expansion of midge species. The complexity and diversity of the viral spectrum carried by midges identified in the study calls for more in-depth research, which can be utilized to monitor arthropod vectors and to predict the emergence and spread of zoonoses and animal epidemics, which is of great significance for the control of vector-borne diseases.
Funder
Yunnan Reserve Talents for Academic and Technical Leaders of Middle-Aged and Young People Yunnan Revitalization Talent Support Program Top Physician Project Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province Shenzhen Science and Technology Program Guangdong Province “Pearl River Talent Plan” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Team Project
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