Discovery of Novel Viruses in <i>Culicoides</i> Biting Midges in Chihuahua, Mexico.

ABSTRACT: Biting midges (Culicoides) are vectors of many pathogens of medical and veterinary importance, but their viromes are poorly characterized compared to certain other hematophagous arthropods, e.g., mosquitoes and ticks. The goal of this study was to use metagenomics to identify viruses in Culicoides from Mexico. A total of 457 adult midges were collected in Chihuahua, northern Mexico, in 2020 and 2021, and all were identified as female Culicoides reevesi. The midges were sorted into five pools and homogenized. An aliquot of each homogenate was subjected to polyethylene glycol precipitation to enrich for virions, then total RNA was extracted and analyzed by unbiased high-throughput sequencing. We identified six novel viruses that are characteristic of viruses from five fa

SUBMITTER: Laredo-Tiscareno SV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11281482 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature