Abstract
Next-generation sequencing has expanded our understanding of the viral populations that constitute the mammalian virome. We describe a novel taxon of viruses named Statoviruses, for Stool associated Tombus-like viruses, present in multiple metagenomic datasets. These viruses define a novel clade that is phylogenetically related to the RNA virus families Tombusviridae and Flaviviridae. Five distinct statovirus types were identified in human, macaque, mouse, and cow gastrointestinal tract samples. The prototype genome, statovirus A, was frequently identified in macaque stool samples from multiple geographically distinct cohorts. Another genome, statovirus C1, was discovered in a stool sample from a human child with fever, cough, and rash. Further experimental data will clarify whether these viruses are infectious to mammals or if they originate from another source present in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract.
Highlights
Unbiased next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques have demonstrated the remarkable abundance and diversity of viruses that populate mammalian organisms (Virgin, 2014)
Acquired immunodeficiency syndromes caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection are characterized by expansion of enteric eukaryoteinfecting viral families, including Adenoviridae and Picornaviridae (Handley et al, 2012; Handley et al, 2016; Monaco et al, 2016; Li et al, 2013)
The cohorts consisted of SIV infected macaque samples from study sites within the United States, including stool samples from Macaca nemestrina housed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, and Macaca mulatta at the New England Primate Research Center (NEPRC) in Southborough, Massachusetts, Bioqual located in Rockville, Maryland, and from the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC) located in Covington, Louisiana (Handley et al, 2012, 2016; Barouch et al, 2015; Klatt et al, 2013)
Summary
Unbiased next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques have demonstrated the remarkable abundance and diversity of viruses that populate mammalian organisms (Virgin, 2014). Some viruses detected from the gastrointestinal tract are thought to be “passengers” due to dietary exposure or environmental contamination (Balique et al, 2015; Zhang et al, 2006) Most commonly these are plant- or insect-infecting viruses; some recent studies have demonstrated that such viruses can interact with and affect the host. Acanthocystis turfacea chlorella virus 1, a member of the double stranded DNA virus Phycodnaviridae family, whose known members primarily infect green algae, has been identified in human oropharyngeal samples, replicates in human macrophages, and is associated with decreased cognitive function in humans and mice (Yolken et al, 2014; Petro et al, 2015) As another example, Pepper mild mottle virus, a single stranded positive sense RNA plant virus of the family Virgaviridae, is frequently detected in human stool samples and has been associated with symptoms of fever, abdominal pain, and pruritus, as well as a human serological response (Colson et al, 2010)
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