Virome characterization of wild small mammals provides new insight into zoonotic pathogens in West Africa

作者：Xiao‐Ai Zhang, Meiqi Zhang, Yawen Liu, Lei Lin, Jingtao Zhang, Thomoshire George, Mohamed Boie Jalloh, Stephen Sevalie, Kandeh Bassie Kargbo, Bao-Gui Jiang, Zhiqiang Mi, Shuchao Wang, Guang‐Qian Si, Lei Zhang, Li‐Qun Fang, Weiwei Chen, Gang Dong, Weijin Huang, Wei Liu · 发表于：Microbiome · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s40168-025-02195-7 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Zoonotic diseases and public health、Virology and Viral Diseases、Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research

BACKGROUND: A significant number of infectious diseases affecting humans have been associated with zoonotic viruses. Wild small mammals, such as bats, rodents, and shrews, serve as natural reservoirs for a multitude of zoonotic viruses, particularly in Africa, where zoonosis is prevalent. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the virome composition within these hosts remains limited, impeding a more profound understanding of spillover events into human populations. RESULTS: We employed a viral metagenomics approach to characterize the virome in 846 wild small mammals sampled from Sierra Leone. Based on the complete RNA-dependent RNA polymerase genome, a total of 39 RNA viruses infecting mammals were identified, comprising 13 known viruses and 26 novel viruses. Notably, the Paramyxoviridae family exhibited the highest diversity of viral species across all three orders of wild mammal. The animal species Hipposideros jonesi and Lophuromys chrysopus were found to harbor the highest viral richness. Among these viral species, 15 were identified as cross-species transmitted viruses shared among different animal species, 3 were classified as zoonotic (Encephalomyocarditis virus, Rocahepevirus sp., and Lassa virus), while 3 others posed a potential risk for spillover (melian virus, Rodent hepacivirus, Hunnivirus A). Cross-species transmission analysis revealed that rodents played central roles in virus sharing, while cross-order viral transmission was less likely to occur in bats. Among 26 n...