Genomic and morphological characterization of a novel iridovirus, bivalve iridovirus 1 (BiIV1), infecting the common cockle (<i>Cerastoderma edule</i>).

ABSTRACT: High rates of mortality of the common cockle, Cerastoderma edule, have occurred in the Wash Estuary, UK, since 2008. A previous study linked the mortalities to a novel genotype of Marteilia cocosarum, with a strong correlation between cockle moribundity and the presence of M. cocosarum. Here, we characterize a novel iridovirus, identified by chance during metagenomic sequencing of a gradient purification of Marteilia cells, with the presence also correlated to cockle moribundity. The novel 179,695 bp iridovirus, bivalve iridovirus 1 (BiIV1), encodes 193 predicted ORFs and has a G+C content of 41 mol%. BiIV1 clusters together with other aquatic invertebrate iridoviruses in phylogenetic analyses and has a similar genome size to other invertebrate iridoviruses. Com

SUBMITTER: Hooper C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12452177 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature