Association of virome dynamics with mosquito species and environmental factors

Abstract

Background The pathogenic viruses transmitted by mosquitoes cause a variety of animal and human diseases and public health concerns. Virome surveillance is important for the discovery, and control of mosquito-borne pathogenic viruses, as well as early warning systems. Virome composition in mosquitoes is affected by mosquito species, food source, and geographic region. However, the complex associations of virome composition remain largely unknown. Results Here, we profiled the high-depth RNA viromes of 15 species of field-caught adult mosquitoes, especially from Culex, Aedes, Anopheles, and Armigeres in Hainan Island from 2018 to 2020. We detected 57 known and 39 novel viruses belonging to 15 families. We established the associations of the RNA viruses with mosquito species and their foods, indicating the importance of feeding acquisition of RNA viruses in determining virome composition. A large fraction of RNA viruses were persistent in the same mosquito species across the 3 years and different locations, showing the species-specific stability of viromes in Hainan Island. In contrast, the virome compositions of single mosquito species in different geographic regions worldwide are visibly distinct. This is consistent with the differences in food sources of mosquitoes distributed broadly across continents. Conclusions Thus, species-specific viromes in a relatively small area are limited by viral interspecific competition and food sources, whereas the viromes of mosquito species in large geographic regions may be governed by ecological interactions between mosquitoes and local environmental factors.

Metagenomic analysis of individual mosquitos reveals the ecology of insect viruses

“…While our findings indicate that phylogenetic distance among mosquitos constrained virus transmission, there are cases of generalist viruses that can infect multiple mosquito species. Hence, counter to earlier ideas, virome compositions are not completely distinct among insect species 7,10,12 . Notably, our results also imply that the host specificity of mosquito-associated viruses exists on a spectrum rather than adhering to a rigid “generalist-specialist” dichotomy 28,33 .…”

Characterizing viral species in mosquitoes (Culicidae) in the Colombian Orinoco: insights from a preliminary metagenomic study

“…2 ). These findings suggest that the virome of field-collected mosquitoes, especially in rural settings in tropical areas (with a low degree of anthropogenic intervention), could reflect intricate interactions with their natural environment 27 , 29 , 30 . Possibly this phenomenon is likely to be influenced by some factors, such as breeding and feeding sites as has been suggested by previous studies 30 , 46 , 47 .…”

“…These findings suggest that the virome of field-collected mosquitoes, especially in rural settings in tropical areas (with a low degree of anthropogenic intervention), could reflect intricate interactions with their natural environment 27 , 29 , 30 . Possibly this phenomenon is likely to be influenced by some factors, such as breeding and feeding sites as has been suggested by previous studies 30 , 46 , 47 . However, future research could systematically explore the influence of local environmental conditions, encompassing factors such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, vegetation, nutrition, and mosquito breeding water sources.…”

“…Analyses of the global composition and distribution of the mosquito virome suggest that the environment, modes of virus transmission, and genetic factors in specific mosquito species or genera are factors that shape the virome composition 5 . Similarly, other studies show that viral dynamics depends primarily on interactions between mosquitoes and their environment, where feeding is considered, a critical factor affecting virus composition 29 , 30 However, the factors influencing the complex associations of virome composition remain largely unknown, especially in mosquitoes associated with sylvatic cycles, in environmentally conserved natural areas.…”

Current Status of Metatranscriptomic and Related Studies in Hematophagous Disease-Transmitting Vectors

“…The viral component of the microbiome has also been extensively studied by means of metataxonomic approaches that used meta-RNA shotgun sequencing (e.g., Aragão et al 2023;Fauver et al 2016;Feng et al 2022;Hameed et al 2021;Liu et al 2023;Ramírez et al 2020;Sadeghi et al 2018;Shi et al 2015Shi et al , 2017Thongsripong et al 2021;Wu et al 2023;.…”