Metagenomic survey reveals Volzhskoe tick virus in <i>Hyalomma</i> ticks for the first time in western Europe, North-Eastern Spain.

ABSTRACT: Ticks are reservoirs and vectors of several emerging arboviruses, yet their associated virome remains poorly characterized. Using meta-transcriptomic sequencing, we surveyed Hyalomma marginatum and Rhipicephalus bursa ticks collected from areas with contrasting Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) seroprevalence in wild ungulates in north-eastern Spain, a region with no reported CCHF cases in humans. While CCHFV RNA was not detected, we identified Volzhskoe tick virus (VTV), a recently described member of the class Bunyaviricetes, first identified in Russia, in H. marginatum from the Ports de Tortosa i Beseit Natural Park-making its first report of VTV in Western Europe. These findings suggest a broader distribution of VTV and raise important questions

SUBMITTER: Carrera-Faja L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12721309 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature