tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Nat Microbiol
. 2022 Aug 2.
doi: 10.1038/s41564-022-01181-1. Online ahead of print.
Trafficked Malayan pangolins contain viral pathogens of humans
Wenqiang Shi[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mang Shi[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 2 [/SUP], Teng-Cheng Que[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 [/SUP], Xiao-Ming Cui[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Run-Ze Ye[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 5 [/SUP], Luo-Yuan Xia[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Xin Hou[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jia-Jing Zheng[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP], Na Jia[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Xing Xie[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Wei-Chen Wu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mei-Hong He[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hui-Feng Wang[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Yong-Jie Wei[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ai-Qiong Wu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sheng-Feng Zhang[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Yu-Sheng Pan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Pan-Yu Chen[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Qian Wang[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Shou-Sheng Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yan-Li Zhong[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ying-Jiao Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Luo-Hao Tan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Lin Zhao[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jia-Fu Jiang[SUP] 9 10 [/SUP], Yan-Ling Hu[SUP] 11 12 [/SUP], Wu-Chun Cao[SUP] 13 14 15 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Pangolins are the most trafficked wild animal in the world according to the World Wildlife Fund. The discovery of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses in Malayan pangolins has piqued interest in the viromes of these wild, scaly-skinned mammals. We sequenced the viromes of 161 pangolins that were smuggled into China and assembled 28 vertebrate-associated viruses, 21 of which have not been previously reported in vertebrates. We named 16 members of Hunnivirus, Pestivirus and Copiparvovirus pangolin-associated viruses. We report that the L-protein has been lost from all hunniviruses identified in pangolins. Sequences of four human-associated viruses were detected in pangolin viromes, including respiratory syncytial virus, Orthopneumovirus, Rotavirus A and Mammalian orthoreovirus. The genomic sequences of five mammal-associated and three tick-associated viruses were also present. Notably, a coronavirus related to HKU4-CoV, which was originally found in bats, was identified. The presence of these viruses in smuggled pangolins identifies these mammals as a potential source of emergent pathogenic viruses.
. 2022 Aug 2.
doi: 10.1038/s41564-022-01181-1. Online ahead of print.
Trafficked Malayan pangolins contain viral pathogens of humans
Wenqiang Shi[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mang Shi[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 2 [/SUP], Teng-Cheng Que[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 3 [/SUP], Xiao-Ming Cui[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Run-Ze Ye[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 5 [/SUP], Luo-Yuan Xia[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Xin Hou[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jia-Jing Zheng[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP], Na Jia[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Xing Xie[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Wei-Chen Wu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mei-Hong He[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hui-Feng Wang[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Yong-Jie Wei[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ai-Qiong Wu[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sheng-Feng Zhang[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Yu-Sheng Pan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Pan-Yu Chen[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Qian Wang[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Shou-Sheng Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Yan-Li Zhong[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ying-Jiao Li[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Luo-Hao Tan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Lin Zhao[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jia-Fu Jiang[SUP] 9 10 [/SUP], Yan-Ling Hu[SUP] 11 12 [/SUP], Wu-Chun Cao[SUP] 13 14 15 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35918420
- DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01181-1
Abstract
Pangolins are the most trafficked wild animal in the world according to the World Wildlife Fund. The discovery of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses in Malayan pangolins has piqued interest in the viromes of these wild, scaly-skinned mammals. We sequenced the viromes of 161 pangolins that were smuggled into China and assembled 28 vertebrate-associated viruses, 21 of which have not been previously reported in vertebrates. We named 16 members of Hunnivirus, Pestivirus and Copiparvovirus pangolin-associated viruses. We report that the L-protein has been lost from all hunniviruses identified in pangolins. Sequences of four human-associated viruses were detected in pangolin viromes, including respiratory syncytial virus, Orthopneumovirus, Rotavirus A and Mammalian orthoreovirus. The genomic sequences of five mammal-associated and three tick-associated viruses were also present. Notably, a coronavirus related to HKU4-CoV, which was originally found in bats, was identified. The presence of these viruses in smuggled pangolins identifies these mammals as a potential source of emergent pathogenic viruses.