Dataset Information

Sustained RNA virome diversity in Antarctic penguins and their ticks.

ABSTRACT: Despite its isolation and extreme climate, Antarctica is home to diverse fauna and associated microorganisms. It has been proposed that the most iconic Antarctic animal, the penguin, experiences low pathogen pressure, accounting for their disease susceptibility in foreign environments. There is, however, a limited understanding of virome diversity in Antarctic species, the extent of in situ virus evolution, or how it relates to that in other geographic regions. To assess whether penguins have limited microbial diversity we determined the RNA viromes of three species of penguins and their ticks sampled on the Antarctic peninsula. Using total RNA sequencing we identified 107 viral species, comprising likely penguin associated viruses (n?=?13), penguin diet and microbiome associated viruses (n?=?82), and tick viruses (n?=?8), two of which may have the potential to infect penguins. Notably, the level of virome diversity revealed in penguins is comparable to that seen in Australian waterbirds, including many of the same viral families. These data run counter to the idea that penguins are subject to lower pathogen pressure. The repeated detection of specific viruses in Antarctic penguins also suggests that rather than being simply spill-over hosts, these animals may act as key virus reservoirs.

SUBMITTER: Wille M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7305176 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sustained RNA virome diversity in Antarctic penguins and their ticks.

Wille Michelle M Harvey Erin E Shi Mang M Gonzalez-Acuña Daniel D Holmes Edward C EC Hurt Aeron C AC

The ISME journal 20200414 7

Despite its isolation and extreme climate, Antarctica is home to diverse fauna and associated microorganisms. It has been proposed that the most iconic Antarctic animal, the penguin, experiences low pathogen pressure, accounting for their disease susceptibility in foreign environments. There is, however, a limited understanding of virome diversity in Antarctic species, the extent of in situ virus evolution, or how it relates to that in other geographic regions. To assess whether penguins have li ...[more]

PMID: 32286545

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Project description:Wild birds harbor a huge diversity of avian avulaviruses (formerly avian paramyxoviruses). Antarctic penguin species have been screened for avian avulaviruses since the 1980s and, as such, are known hosts of these viruses. In this study, we screened three penguin species from the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula for avian avulaviruses. We show that Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are hosts for four different avian avulavirus species, the recently described avian avulaviruses 17 to 19 and avian avulavirus 10-like, never before isolated in Antarctica. A total of 24 viruses were isolated and sequenced; avian avulavirus 17 was the most common, and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated patterns of occurrence, with different genetic clusters corresponding to penguin age and location. Following infection in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens, all four avian avulavirus species were shed from the oral cavity for up to 7 days postinfection. There was limited shedding from the cloaca in a proportion of infected chickens, and all but one bird seroconverted by day 21. No clinical signs were observed. Taken together, we propose that penguin species, including Antarctic penguins, may be the central reservoir for a diversity of avian avulavirus species and that these viruses have the potential to infect other avian hosts.IMPORTANCE Approximately 99% of all viruses are still to be described, and in our changing world, any one of these unknown viruses could potentially expand their host range and cause epidemic disease in wildlife, agricultural animals, or humans. Avian avulavirus 1 causes outbreaks in wild birds and poultry and is thus well described. However, for many avulavirus species, only a single specimen has been described, and their viral ecology and epidemiology are unknown. Through the detection of avian avulaviruses in penguins from Antarctica, we have been able to expand upon our understanding of three avian avulavirus species (avian avulaviruses 17 to 19) and report a potentially novel avulavirus species. Importantly, we show that penguins appear to play a key role in the epidemiology of avian avulaviruses, and we encourage additional sampling of this avian group.

Project description:Understanding the microbiome of ticks in Australia is of considerable interest given the ongoing debate over whether Lyme disease and its causative agent, the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato, are present in Australia. The diversity of bacteria infecting Australian ticks has been studied using both culture- and metagenomics-based techniques. However, little is known about the virome of Australian ticks, including whether this includes viruses with the potential to infect mammals. We used a meta-transcriptomics approach to reveal the diversity and evolution of viruses from Australian ticks collected from two locations on the central east coast of Australia, including metropolitan Sydney. From this we identified 19 novel RNA viruses belonging to 12 families, as well as 1 previously described RNA virus. The majority of these viruses were related to arthropod-associated viruses, suggesting that they do not utilize mammalian hosts. However, two novel viruses discovered in ticks feeding on bandicoot marsupials clustered closely within the mammal-associated hepacivirus and pestivirus groups (family Flaviviridae). Another bandicoot tick yielded a novel coltivirus (family Reoviridae), a group of largely tick-associated viruses containing the known human pathogen Colorado tick fever virus and its relative, Eyach virus. Importantly, our transcriptomic data provided no evidence for the presence of B. burgdorferisensu lato in any tick sample, providing further evidence against the presence of Lyme disease in Australia. In sum, this study reveals that Australian ticks harbor a diverse virome, including some viruses that merit additional screening in the context of emerging infectious disease.IMPORTANCE Each year a growing number of individuals along the east coast of Australia experience debilitating disease following tick bites. As there is no evidence for the presence of the causative agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato, in Australian ticks, the etiological basis of this disease syndrome remains controversial. To characterize the viruses associated with Australian ticks, particularly those that might be associated with mammalian infection, we performed unbiased RNA sequencing on 146 ticks collected across two locations along the coast of New South Wales, Australia. This revealed 19 novel RNA viruses from a diverse set of families. Notably, three of these viruses clustered with known mammalian viruses, including a novel coltivirus that was related to the human pathogen Colorado tick fever virus.

Dataset Information

Sustained RNA virome diversity in Antarctic penguins and their ticks.

Publications

Sustained RNA virome diversity in Antarctic penguins and their ticks.

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