Vargas K, Kraberger S, Custer JM, Paietta EN, Culver M, Munguia-Vega A, Dolby GA and A Varsani 2023. Identification of novel polyomavirus in wild Sonoran Desert rodents of the family Heteromyidae. Archives of Virology, 168:253. doi: 10.1007/s00705-023-05877-5.
Abstract
Rodents are the largest and most diverse group of mammals. Covering a wide range of structural and functional adaptations, rodents successfully occupy virtually every terrestrial habitat, and are often found in close association with humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Although rodents are known to be reservoirs of zoonotic viruses and a significant amount of research has focused in this area, there has been less emphasis on viral ecology of rodents in general. Here, we utilized a viral metagenomics approach to investigate the DNA virome of wild rodent from Baja California Peninsula, Mexico using fecal samples. As part of this study, we identified a novel polyomavirus (PyV) in fecal samples from two rodent species, a spiny pocket mouse (Chaetodipus spinatus), and a Dulzura kangaroo rat (Dipodomys simulans). These two polyomaviruses represent a new species in the genus Betapolyomavirus. Sequences of this polyomavirus phylogenetically cluster with other rodent polyomaviruses and two other non-rodent polyomaviruses (WU and KI) that have been identified in the respiratory tract of young humans. Through our continued work on seven species of rodents, we endeavor to explore viral diversity associated with wild rodents in Baja California Peninsula and expand on current knowledge of their ecology and evolution.