Tacheng Tick Virus 1 and Songling Virus Infection in Great Gerbils (Rhombomys opimus) in Northwestern China

Abstract

Tacheng tick virus 1 (TcTV-1) and Songling virus (SGLV) were originally found in human patients in China who had had tick bites. Tamdy virus (TAMV) was detected for the first time in a tick-infested person from Kyrgyzstan in 1973. In this study, 276 great gerbils (Rhombomys opimus) were collected in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. The total RNA of individual spleen samples was extracted, and the viral L segments of TcTV-1, SGLV, and TAMV were detected by nested reverse transcription PCR. Overall, 2.9% (8/276) and 2.2% (6/276) of spleen samples tested positive to the viral L segments for TcTV-1 and SGLV, respectively; TAMV was not detected in any samples. The SGLV from the great gerbils shared 93.7% (236/252 nucleotide [nt]) and 94.0% (78/83 amino acid [aa]) identities to SGLV detected in patients infected with SGLV in northeastern China. The TcTV-1 in great gerbils was closest to TcTV-1 from a patient in China, with 98.5% (797/809 nt) and 98.9% (265/268 aa) sequence identities. This is the first molecular evidence for the presence of TcTV-1 and SGLV in great gerbils. High genetic diversity in SGLV was observed among geographical locations. Multiregion surveillance of Tamdy orthonairoviruses in more wildlife species is necessary.

Diversity of species and geographic distribution of tick-borne viruses in China

“…A study reported a man who developed clinical symptoms after a tick bite in XUAR and TcTV-1 and Rickettsia raoultii were detected in his blood samples by RT-PCR, he was finally diagnosed with severe acute meningitis co-infected with Rickettsia raoultii and TcTV-1 ( Zhang et al, 2021 ). TcTV-1 infection in animals has been detected in giant gerbils from XUAR, and Songling virus (SGLV) was also detected ( Ji et al, 2023 ). SGLV was a new Orthonairovirus first identified in 2021 in a male farmer bitten by a tick in Heilongjiang Province, with genomic and morphological characteristics similar to other Orthonairovirus .…”

“…SGLV was also found in local Ixodes crenulatus, Ixodes persulcatus, Haemaphysalis concinna, and H. longicornis . Subsequently, some researchers annotated the sequence of SGLV in the metagenomic sequencing of ticks from northeastern China ( Liu et al, 2022 ; Cai et al, 2023 ; Ji et al, 2023 ). Beiji nairovirus (BJNV), also a new nairo-like virus, was first mentioned in high-throughput sequencing, and then it was detected in a febrile patient in Inner Mongolia Province.…”

The great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) as a host for tick species in Gurbantunggut Desert

“…Lastly, as our sampling sites were located in deep region of Gurbantunggut Desert rather than in the oasis of the Junggar Basin, some tick species, such as Dermacentor marginatus and D. nuttalli [ 30 ], were not found in this investigation. Moreover, the marbled polecats, red foxes and great gerbils served as reservoirs for spotted fever Rickettsia , Babesia and novel tick-borne bunyaviruses [ 5 , 26 – 28 ]. In the future, there will be more work on ticks and tick-borne pathogens in the Gurbantunggut Desert.…”

“…Meanwhile, > 100 animal species, including red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), marble polecat ( Vormela peregusna ), long-eared hedgehog ( Hemiechinus auritus ) and goitered gazelle ( Gazella subgutturosa sairensis ) live in the area [ 4 ]. The great gerbil, the most dominant rodent species in the Gurbantunggut Desert, was previously reported to carry a variety of tick-borne pathogens, such as Tacheng tick virus 1, Songling virus [ 5 ], Karimabad virus [ 6 ], Babesia spp., Theileria spp. and Anaplasma ovis [ 7 ].…”

Genomic annotation for vaccine target identification and immunoinformatics-guided multi-epitope-based vaccine design against Songling virus through screening its whole genome encoded proteins

“…Between 2017 and 2018, SGLV’s impact on human health materialized, materializing as symptoms encompassing headaches, fever, depression, fatigue, and dizziness. Serological investigations illuminated a pivotal facet: a significant 69% of patients exhibited the development of virus-specific antibody responses during the acute phase ( 3 ).…”