Virome profiling of long-tailed marmots reveals tissue tropism and cross-species transmission of a diversity of uncharacterized mammalian viruses.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Anthropogenic land conversion and population encroachment into wildlife habitats are amplifying zoonotic risks through intensified human-livestock-wildlife contacts. As ecologically resilient rodents exhibiting dynamic population fluxes, long-tailed marmots (Marmota caudata) are crucial viral reservoirs in Central Asian ecosystems. Their sympatric coexistence with domestic herds creates sustained spillover risks, yet comprehensive virome characterization remains limited. This study employs a whole-virome profiling strategy to comprehensively characterize the viral diversity of 101 wild M. caudata across 5 habitats in Xinjiang, aiming to address key knowledge gaps in rodent-borne zoonoses under anthropogenic pressures.

Results

Our study identified 3314 viral contig

SUBMITTER: Yi L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12860151 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature