Li Qianlin, Huang Jicheng, Zhou Yanrong, Wu Qin, Zhou Jian, He Fengxia, He Lirun, Shi Yongxia, Guo Cheng, Dai Jun
Health Inspection and Quarantine Laboratory, Guangzhou Customs Technology Center, Guangzhou, 510623, China.
Guangdong International Travel Healthcare Center, Guangzhou, 510623, China.
Parasit Vectors. 2025 Jul 7;18(1):264. doi: 10.1186/s13071-025-06872-2.
BACKGROUND: Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are key vectors for arboviruses such as Dengue virus, Zika virus, and Chikungunya virus, posing significant global public health risks. Guangdong Province, a densely populated subtropical region in southern China, has experienced recurrent outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases. However, sex- and geography-specific virome profiles of Aedes albopictus populations in this area remain uncharacterized, limiting the development of targeted surveillance strategies and precise risk assessment. METHODS: We performed a metagenomic analysis of 1269 adult Aedes albopictus collected from five cities across Guangdong Province during autumn 2021. Mosquito pools underwent viral particle enrichment followed by DNA and RNA sequencing. Bioinformatic analyses were employed to characterize viral communities, evaluate alpha/beta diversity, and conduct phylogenetic reconstruction. RESULTS: A comparative analysis of virome profiles in male and female Aedes albopictus across five regions of Guangdong Province (Chaozhou, Guangzhou, Shaoguan, Shenzhen, Zhanjiang) revealed significant viral distribution patterns influenced by both sex and geographic location. Female mosquitoes predominantly hosted vertebrate-associated arboviruses, including Flavivirus, consistent with their blood-feeding behavior. RNA virome composition showed significant sex-specific clustering (permutational multivariate analysis of variance, PERMANOVA, P = 0.008), with coastal cities (Shenzhen, Zhanjiang) being dominated by RNA viruses, whereas inland areas (Shaoguan) exhibited a predominance of DNA viruses. DNA virome profiles displayed divergence between sexes but marked regional variation. Guangzhou emerged as an outlier, exhibiting exceptional bacteriophage diversity distinct from other regions. Phylogenetic analysis identified zoonotic pathogens with signatures of cross-species transmission and region-specific evolutionary adaptation. These findings highlight the interplay between mosquito ecology, geographic factors, and viral evolution in shaping virome diversity. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents the inaugural comparative analysis of DNA/RNA viromes in Aedes albopictus populations across Guangdong Province, revealing distinct sex-specific and geographic patterns in viral composition. The identification of vertebrate-associated viruses in female mosquitoes reinforces their epidemiological significance as arboviral vectors, while male-specific environmental viral signatures suggest potential pathways for ecological spillover. Coastal-inland and urban-rural disparities in viral communities emphasize the need for regionally tailored surveillance. These findings provide essential baseline virome data for forecasting emerging arboviral threats and informing strategies to mitigate zoonotic spillover in subtropical urban ecosystems.
背景:白纹伊蚊是登革热病毒、寨卡病毒和基孔肯雅病毒等虫媒病毒的主要传播媒介,对全球公共卫生构成重大风险。广东省是中国南方人口密集的亚热带地区,曾多次爆发蚊媒疾病。然而,该地区白纹伊蚊种群的性别和地理特异性病毒组概况仍未得到描述,这限制了针对性监测策略的制定和精确的风险评估。 方法:我们对2021年秋季从广东省五个城市收集的1269只成年白纹伊蚊进行了宏基因组分析。将蚊虫样本进行病毒颗粒富集,然后进行DNA和RNA测序。采用生物信息学分析来表征病毒群落、评估α/β多样性并进行系统发育重建。 结果:对广东省五个地区(潮州、广州、韶关、深圳、湛江)的雄性和雌性白纹伊蚊的病毒组概况进行比较分析,发现病毒分布模式受性别和地理位置的显著影响。雌性蚊子主要携带与脊椎动物相关的虫媒病毒,包括黄病毒,这与其吸血行为一致。RNA病毒组组成显示出显著的性别特异性聚类(置换多元方差分析,PERMANOVA,P = 0.008),沿海城市(深圳、湛江)以RNA病毒为主,而内陆地区(韶关)则以DNA病毒为主。DNA病毒组概况在性别之间存在差异,但区域差异明显。广州是一个例外,其噬菌体多样性与其他地区不同。系统发育分析确定了具有跨物种传播特征和区域特异性进化适应的人畜共患病原体。这些发现突出了蚊子生态学、地理因素和病毒进化在塑造病毒组多样性方面的相互作用。 结论:本研究首次对广东省白纹伊蚊种群的DNA/RNA病毒组进行了比较分析,揭示了病毒组成中明显的性别特异性和地理模式。在雌性蚊子中鉴定出与脊椎动物相关的病毒,强化了它们作为虫媒病毒载体的流行病学意义,而雄性特异性环境病毒特征提示了生态溢出的潜在途径。病毒群落在沿海与内陆以及城乡之间的差异强调了区域针对性监测的必要性。这些发现为预测新出现的虫媒病毒威胁以及为减轻亚热带城市生态系统中的人畜共患病溢出提供信息的策略提供了重要的病毒组基线数据。
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