Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Novel Circoviruses Detected in Feces of Sonoran Felids

Natalie Payne
,
Simona Kraberger
,
Rafaela S Fontenele
ORCID logo ,
Kara Schmidlin
,
Melissa H Bergeman
,
Ivonne Cassaigne
,
Melanie Culver
,
Arvind Varsani
* ORCID logo ,
Koenraad Van Doorslaer
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 22 August 2020 / Approved: 24 August 2020 / Online: 24 August 2020 (03:09:36 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Payne, N.; Kraberger, S.; Fontenele, R.S.; Schmidlin, K.; Bergeman, M.H.; Cassaigne, I.; Culver, M.; Varsani, A.; Van Doorslaer, K. Novel Circoviruses Detected in Feces of Sonoran Felids. Viruses 2020, 12, 1027. Payne, N.; Kraberger, S.; Fontenele, R.S.; Schmidlin, K.; Bergeman, M.H.; Cassaigne, I.; Culver, M.; Varsani, A.; Van Doorslaer, K. Novel Circoviruses Detected in Feces of Sonoran Felids. Viruses 2020, 12, 1027.

Abstract

Sonoran felids are threatened by drought and habitat fragmentation. Vector range expansion and anthropogenic factors such as habitat encroachment and climate change are altering viral evolutionary dynamics and exposure. However, little is known about the diversity of viruses present in these populations. Small felid populations with lower genetic diversity are likely to be most threatened with extinction by emerging diseases, as with other selective pressures, due to having less adaptive potential. We used a metagenomic approach to identify novel circoviruses, which may have a negative impact on the population viability, from confirmed bobcat (Lynx rufus) and puma (Puma concolor) scats collected in Sonora, Mexico. Given some circoviruses are known to cause disease in their hosts, such as porcine and avian circoviruses, we took a non-invasive approach using scat to identify circoviruses in free-roaming bobcats and puma. Three circovirus genomes were determined, and, based on the current species demarcation, they represent two novel species. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that one circovirus species is more closely related to rodent associated circoviruses and the other to bat associated circoviruses, sharing the highest genome-wide pairwise identity of approximately 70% and 63%, respectively. At this time, it is unknown whether these scat-derived circoviruses infect felids, their prey, or another organism that might have had contact with the scat in the environment. Further studies should be conducted to elucidate the host of these viruses and assess health impacts in felids.

Keywords

circoviridae; circoviruses; bobcat; lynx rufus; Sonoran desert; Sonoran felid associated (Sonfela) circoviruses

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Virology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF Download Supplementary

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Supplementary Files Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.