Profiling of RNA Viruses in Biting Midges ( <i>Ceratopogonidae</i> ) and Related Diptera from Kenya Using Metagenomics and Metabarcoding Analysis
Solomon Langat, Fredrick Eyase, Wallace Bulimo, Joel Lutomiah, Samuel O. Oyola, Mabel Imbuga, Rosemary Sang
Abstract
The majority of the viruses that currently cause diseases in humans and animals are RNA viruses, and more specifically arthropod-transmitted viruses. They cause diseases such as dengue, West Nile infection, bluetongue disease, Schmallenberg disease, and yellow fever, among others. Several sequencing investigations have shown us that a diverse array of RNA viruses among insect vectors remain unknown. Some of these could be ancient lineages that could aid in comprehensive studies on RNA virus evolution. Such studies may provide us with insights into the evolution of the currently pathogenic viruses. Here, we applied metagenomics to field-collected midges and we managed to characterize several RNA viruses, where we recovered complete and nearly complete genomes of these viruses. We also characterized the insect host species that are associated with these viruses. These results add to the currently known diversity of RNA viruses among biting midges as well as their associated insect hosts.