Yan Yueyang, Shi Zhangpeng, Wang Cunmin, Jin Zi, Yin Jigang, Zhu Guan
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
Institute of Zoonosis, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
Microorganisms. 2024 Aug 22;12(8):1736. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms12081736.
Ticks are blood-feeding ectoparasites that also transmit various pathogens, posing severe risks to human and animal health. DNA viruses play a crucial role in the microbial ecology of ticks, but their distribution and ecological significance remain largely undetermined. Here, we assembled an extensive catalog encompassing 4320 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) from six main dominant tick species in China, of which 94.8% have not been found in any other environment. To bridge the knowledge gap in tick DNA virus research and provide a crucial resource platform, we developed the Tick DNA Virus Database. This database includes the vOTUs that are known to cause diseases. Most of the predicted vOTUs are associated with dominant bacterial and archaeal phyla. We identified 105 virus-encoded putative auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) that are involved in host metabolism and environmental adaptation, potentially influencing ticks through both top-down and bottom-up mechanisms. The identification of microbial communities and antibiotic resistance in wild tick species suggests that wild ticks are reservoirs of antibiotic resistance and potential spreaders of antibiotic resistance. These findings reveal the potential role of tick viruses in ecosystems, highlighting the importance of monitoring tick microbiomes to address global public health challenges.
蜱是吸食血液的体外寄生虫，还会传播各种病原体，对人类和动物健康构成严重风险。DNA病毒在蜱的微生物生态中起着关键作用，但其分布和生态意义在很大程度上仍未确定。在这里，我们构建了一个广泛的目录，涵盖了来自中国六种主要优势蜱种的4320个病毒操作分类单元（vOTU），其中94.8%在任何其他环境中均未被发现。为了弥补蜱DNA病毒研究中的知识空白并提供一个关键的资源平台，我们开发了蜱DNA病毒数据库。该数据库包括已知会导致疾病的vOTU。大多数预测的vOTU与主要的细菌和古菌门相关。我们鉴定出105个病毒编码的假定辅助代谢基因（AMG），它们参与宿主代谢和环境适应，可能通过自上而下和自下而上的机制影响蜱。对野生蜱种中微生物群落和抗生素抗性的鉴定表明，野生蜱是抗生素抗性的储存库和抗生素抗性的潜在传播者。这些发现揭示了蜱病毒在生态系统中的潜在作用，突出了监测蜱微生物组以应对全球公共卫生挑战的重要性。
