Virome of Giant Panda-Infesting Ticks Reveals Novel Bunyaviruses and Other Viruses That Are Genetically Close to Those from Giant Pandas
Rui Ma, Min Zhao, Haoning Wang, Rong Hou, Kailin Qin, Qian Yu, Han Zhang, Yanshan Zhou, Wei Wu, Jiang Gu, Xiaochun Wang, Quan Shen, Songrui Liu, Jiabin Liu, Wenlei Bi, Yu Xiang, Shixing Yang, Feifei Feng, Zusheng Li, Long Zhang, Guanwei Lan, Chao Chen, Fei Xue, Yan Wang, Huang Chong, Yang Hong, Likai Ji, Yuwei Liu, Dunwu Qi, Tongling Shan, Wen Zhang
Abstract
Ticks rank only second to mosquitoes as blood-feeding arthropods, capable of spreading pathogens (including viruses, bacteria, and parasites) to hosts during a blood meal. To better understand the relationship between viruses carried by ticks and viruses that have been reported in giant pandas, it is necessary to analyze the viromes of giant panda-parasitic blood-sucking ticks. This study collected 421 ticks on the body surface of giant pandas in Sichuan Province, China. We characterized the extensive genetic diversity of viruses harbored by these ticks and reported frequent communication of viruses between giant pandas and their ticks. While most of the virome discovered here are nonpathogenic viruses from giant pandas and potentially tick-specific viruses, we revealed some possible tick-borne viruses, represented by novel bunyaviruses. This research contributes to the literature because currently there are few studies on the virome of giant panda-infesting ticks.