Novel RNA Viruses Associated with Avian Haemosporidian Parasites

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2022 Jun 30

PMID 35771829

Authors

Jose Roberto Rodrigues

Scott W Roy

Ravinder N M Sehgal

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Avian haemosporidian parasites can cause malaria-like symptoms in their hosts and have been implicated in the demise of some bird species. The newly described Matryoshka RNA viruses (MaRNAV1 and MaRNAV2) infect haemosporidian parasites that in turn infect their vertebrate hosts. MaRNAV2 was the first RNA virus discovered associated with parasites of the genus Leucocytozoon. By analyzing metatranscriptomes from the NCBI SRA database with local sequence alignment tools, we detected two novel RNA viruses; we describe them as MaRNAV3 associated with Leucocytozoon and MaRNAV4 associated with Parahaemoproteus. MaRNAV3 had ~59% amino acid identity to the RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) of MaRNAV1 and ~63% amino acid identity to MaRNAV2. MaRNAV4 had ~44% amino acid identity to MaRNAV1 and ~47% amino acid identity to MaRNAV2. These findings lead us to hypothesize that MaRNAV_like viruses are widespread and tightly associated with the order Haemosporida since they have been described in human Plasmodium vivax, and now two genera of avian haemosporidians.

Citing Articles

First report of Matryoshka RNA virus in an African-European migrant bird.

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Microbial Matryoshka: Addressing the Relationship between Pathogenic Flagellated Protozoans and Their RNA Viral Endosymbionts (Family ).

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A parasite odyssey: An RNA virus concealed in .

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Insights into the Biology of Species (Haemosporida, Leucocytozoidae): Why Is There Slow Research Progress on Agents of Leucocytozoonosis?.

Valkiunas G, Iezhova T Microorganisms. 2023; 11(5).

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