Lu Xiang, Zhang Qing, Wu Haisheng, Ji Likai, Wang Yongshun, Xu Juan, Liu Jia, Pan Jiamin, Jiang Xiaojie, Xi Yuan, Yang Shixing, Shen Quan, Wang Xiaochun, Wu Ping, Liu Yuwei, Ma Xiao, Zhou Chenglin, Shan Tongling, Zhang Wen
Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
Institute of Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated People's Hospital, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2025 Aug 22;11(1):168. doi: 10.1038/s41522-025-00814-7.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), known for its rich biodiversity and unique ecological niche, harbors numerous endemic species and serves as a reservoir for both established human pathogens and numerous poorly characterized pathogens. Despite certain advances, virological research on small mammals in this region is still limited. In this study, we investigated the diversity and evolution of viral communities in plateau voles, plateau pikas, and their associated environmental samples collected near pastoral settlements on the QTP. Our findings revealed 291,165 species-level viral operational taxonomic units, highlighting a diverse array of bacteriophages. In addition, we further characterized 774 novel eukaryotic viral genomes, primarily classified into 22 established viral families. Among them, 95.5% shared less than 80% amino acid sequence identity with known viruses, some of which may represent new genera or species. Furthermore, some eukaryotic viruses display distinct tissue distribution patterns in these small mammals. Notably, we identified 32 mammalian viruses capable of cross-species transmission, among which 22 are considered potential spillover risks, and most of them were detected for the first time in plateau pikas and plateau voles. Overall, this study expands the viral spectrum of small mammals on the QTP and broadens the host range of previously identified viruses, emphasizing the need for further research into their potential public health implications.
青藏高原（QTP）以其丰富的生物多样性和独特的生态位而闻名，拥有众多特有物种，是已确认的人类病原体和众多特征不明的病原体的储存库。尽管取得了一定进展，但该地区小型哺乳动物的病毒学研究仍然有限。在本研究中，我们调查了青藏高原牧区定居点附近采集的高原田鼠、高原鼠兔及其相关环境样本中病毒群落的多样性和进化。我们的研究结果揭示了291,165个物种水平的病毒操作分类单元，突出了各种各样的噬菌体。此外，我们进一步鉴定了774个新型真核病毒基因组，主要分为22个已确定的病毒科。其中，95.5%与已知病毒的氨基酸序列同一性低于80%，其中一些可能代表新的属或种。此外，一些真核病毒在这些小型哺乳动物中表现出明显的组织分布模式。值得注意的是，我们鉴定出32种能够跨物种传播的哺乳动物病毒，其中22种被认为具有潜在的溢出风险，并且其中大多数是首次在高原鼠兔和高原田鼠中检测到。总体而言，本研究扩展了青藏高原小型哺乳动物的病毒谱，拓宽了先前鉴定病毒的宿主范围，强调了进一步研究其潜在公共卫生影响的必要性。
