Bai Yu, Li Yang, Liu Wenli, Li Jing, Tian Fengjuan, Liu Lei, Han Xiaohu, Tong Yigang
Jiamusi University School of Basic Medicine, Jiamusi, China.
College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
Front Microbiol. 2023 May 2;14:1179156. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1179156. eCollection 2023.
Ticks play a significant role in transmitting arboviruses, which pose a risk to human and animal health. The region of Liaoning Province, China, with abundant plant resources with multiple tick populations, has reported several tick-borne diseases. However, there remains a scarcity of research on the composition and evolution of the tick virome. In this study, we conducted the metagenomic analysis of 561 ticks in the border area of Liaoning Province in China and identified viruses related to known diseases in humans and animals, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) and nairobi sheep disease virus (NSDV). Moreover, the groups of tick viruses were also closely related to the families of , , , and . Notably, the Dabieshan tick virus (DBTV) of the family was prevalent in these ticks, with the minimum infection rate (MIR) of 9.09%, higher than previously reported in numerous provinces in China. In addition, sequences of tick-borne viruses of the family have first been reported from the border area of Liaoning Province, China, after being described from Hubei Province, China. This research furthered the insight into pathogens carried by ticks in the northeastern border areas of China, offering epidemiological information for possible forthcoming outbreaks of infectious diseases. Meanwhile, we provided an essential reference for assessing the risk of tick bite infection in humans and animals, as well as for exploring into the evolution of the virus and the mechanisms of species transmission.
蜱虫在传播虫媒病毒方面起着重要作用，这些病毒对人类和动物健康构成威胁。中国辽宁省地区植物资源丰富，蜱虫种群多样，已报告了多种蜱传疾病。然而，关于蜱传病毒组的组成和进化的研究仍然匮乏。在本研究中，我们对中国辽宁省边境地区的561只蜱虫进行了宏基因组分析，鉴定出了与人类和动物已知疾病相关的病毒，包括严重发热伴血小板减少综合征病毒（SFTSV）和内罗毕羊病病毒（NSDV）。此外，蜱传病毒组还与 、 、 和 科密切相关。值得注意的是， 科的大别山蜱病毒（DBTV）在这些蜱虫中普遍存在，最低感染率（MIR）为9.09%，高于中国许多省份此前的报告。此外， 科蜱传病毒的序列在中国湖北省被描述后，首次在中国辽宁省边境地区被报道。这项研究进一步深入了解了中国东北边境地区蜱虫携带的病原体，为可能即将爆发的传染病提供了流行病学信息。同时，我们为评估人类和动物蜱叮咬感染的风险以及探索病毒的进化和物种传播机制提供了重要参考。
