Novel orbivirus in Amblyomma tholloni ticks parasitizing African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Zambia.

ABSTRACT: Orbiviruses are emerging pathogens of public and veterinary health concern. This study reports the discovery and genomic characterization of a novel orbivirus in adult ticks collected from African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Kafue National Park, Zambia. Six ticks were identified through genetic analyses; one Rhipicephalus maculatus and five Amblyomma tholloni. Salivary gland and blood meal samples were dissected for virus characterization. Total nucleic acids were extracted and reverse-transcribed, and libraries were prepared for deep sequencing. De novo assembly of trimmed sequences recovered four novel viruses designated "zaloxo" to indicate their association with Zambian elephants (genus Loxodonta), abbreviated ZXLV-1 to ZXLV-4. ZXLV-1, a member of the genus Orbivirus, bel

SUBMITTER: Chusyd DE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12678566 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature