Evolutionary and Conservation Biology Group and Animal Viruses Group

Evolutionary and Conservation Biology Group and Animal Viruses Group

Complutense University of Madrid (Madrid)

Daniel A. Truchado; Michael J. Moens; Esperanza Gomez-Lucia, Ana Doménech, Javier Pérez-Tris, Laura Benítez

The knowledge we currently have about the virome in wildlife is still incipient (François and Pybus 2020). However, since the beginning of the 21st century, the main etiological agents causing epidemics and pandemics in humans have been zoonotic viruses originating in wildlife (Carroll et al., 2018) such as the H5N1 avian influenza virus, the Ebola and Zika viruses or the coronaviruses responsible for SARS, MERS and COVID-19. This is why emerging infectious diseases are among the main risks for our species today, as they have revealed our vulnerability to them and have wreaked great havoc on both human and animal health and the world economy. the diversity. The "One Health" concept implies that there is a relationship of interdependence between three areas: the human being, the rest of the animals and the environment in which they live, and that what happens in one of them has repercussions on the other two. One of the main objectives of this "One Health" concept is multidisciplinary collaboration in the search for new viruses in wildlife with zoonotic potential or with interest for the conservation or protection of biodiversity, in order to prevent future outbreaks ( Lebov et al., 2017). In addition, the search for new viruses in wildlife provides us with valuable information on new virus-host relationships, shows how many viruses do not necessarily behave as pathogens in their natural hosts or reservoirs, and gives us an idea of ​​their ecology in different ecosystems. However, to efficiently describe the virome of wildlife, it is necessary to undertake a "Prospective Virology" with approaches aimed at broadening the knowledge of the diversity of viruses, since it is estimated that we only know a small percentage of the entire virome. global. In addition, expanding the focus of the search for new viruses to remote areas and hosts never sampled before is essential to significantly broaden the knowledge about the real viral diversity.

Birds, along with mammals, are the main reservoirs of viruses with zoonotic potential (Carroll et al., 2018). However, little is known about the virome of wild birds today. Birds constitute the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates with around 10,000 described species inhabiting every continent on Earth. This widespread presence on our planet makes them exposed to a great diversity of environmental pathogens that they can easily spread thanks to their diverse ecologies. For example, flight is a characteristic of many bird species that allows the dispersal of pathogens over long distances in a relatively short space of time, especially in migratory birds (Dhama et al., 2008; Viana et al., 2016). . In addition, their immune system makes it easier for certain species to spread a wide variety of viruses without showing obvious clinical signs (Hulse-Post et al., 2005; Wille et al., 2018) and the tendency of many species to share roosts with other animals favors the interspecific transmission of pathogens (Chan et al., 2015). Therefore, it is not surprising that birds have played an important role in the origin and/or transmission of viruses that have caused the latest epidemics and pandemics in the world.

On the other hand, humans can also introduce, indirectly through their activity, new virus strains into wild populations of birds. For example, there are reports of spreads of Newcastle disease virus strains, avian paramyxoviruses and coronaviruses in wild birds near areas with a significant poultry industry that are very similar to those strains used in attenuated poultry vaccines. (Garcia et al., 2013; Rohaim et al., 2017). These unintentional introductions of vaccine viruses can lead to disease outbreaks in wild populations that could endanger the avifauna of the area. Therefore, analyzing the virome of wild birds will not only help us prevent future outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, but it will also provide us with information on the global diversity of existing viruses and help us to know which viruses circulate in bird populations that may a risk for them and know their influence on the dynamics, structure and functioning of ecosystems.

LINES OF INTEREST AND RESEARCH ACTIVITY

In our research group we are interested in the study of wild bird viruses, especially in hosts that have not traditionally been studied. We have designed various tools to analyze, for example, avian pox (Pérez-Tris et al., 2011; Williams et al., 2014; Ruiz-Martínez et al., 2016; Moens et al., 2017) or the infections caused by papillomavirus (Truchado et al., 2018 a and b). More recently we are mainly analyzing the cloacal virome of passerine birds, practically unknown despite the fact that they constitute approximately 60% of the bird diversity. And we do it in different habitats, both in remote regions with little human influence, mainly the Neotropics, and in more studied nearby environments such as the Mediterranean mountain forest. The tropics provide an ideal setting to explore the relationships between specificity and host diversity, since the latter could govern the evolution of specificity through dilution and amplification effects. For this we have sampled in a megadiverse area in southern Ecuador and in understory birds in the Nouragues Nature Reserve, in French Guiana. This reserve is located in the Guiana Shield, an area of ​​tropical forest in northern South America considered one of the hotspots for bird diversity in the world, with some 700 different species described. By analyzing the virome of wild birds from Nouragues, we intend to provide new and relevant information to the field of avian virology, since we investigate in a remote site where similar scientific projects have never been carried out, at the same time that we search for new viruses in non-traditional hosts such as passerine birds that dominate the community. We have published the characterization of four new astroviruses, a new gyrovirus and a CRESS-DNA (Circular Rep-Encoding Single-Stranded) virus circulating in these ecosystems, which are markedly divergent within their respective families (Fernández-Correa et al., 2019; Moens et al., 2018; Truchado et al., 2019). In addition, we have found other viruses of interest present in the cloaca of this community of birds belonging to the families Hepeviridae, Picornaviridae and Reoviridae (Truchado et al., 2020).

On the other hand, we also characterized the cloacal virome of wild birds in a more studied area and close to human population centers such as the La Herrería forest, located in the Community of Madrid (Truchado et al., 2020). By analyzing the cloacal viromes of bird species from two very different ecosystems, we can verify different hypotheses. One of them is whether, looking for viruses in non-traditional hosts (such as passerine birds that predominate in both locations), the number of new viruses is substantially increased compared to those already known in the databases. And, second, whether remote regions harbor a community of viruses whose discovery adds phylogenetic or functional uniqueness to the known biodiversity of viruses. At the same time, we describe new viruses that circulate in birds from ecosystems with a high ecological value, providing valuable information that can be used in the field of conservation.

We therefore intend to highlight the value of non-traditional hosts and remote areas as a source of new information in the field of pathogen diversity, especially viruses, and of approaches focused on discovery as an essential tool for their study. With this, in addition, we provide valuable information on new viruses that can help to be prepared for the emergence of new viral pathogens, studying their circulation and warning about their phylogenetic relationship with described viruses.

CONTRIBUTION AND SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Carroll D, Daszak P, Wolfe ND, et al. (2018) The Global Virome Project. Science 359:872–874
2. Chan JFW, To KKW, Chen H, Yuen KY (2015) Cross-species transmission and emergence of novel viruses from birds. Curr Opin Virol 10:63–69 Dhama K, Mahendran M, Tomar S (2008) Pathogens transmitted by migratory birds: threat perceptions to poultry health and production. Int J Poult Sci 7:516–525
3. Fernández-Correa I, Truchado DA, Gomez-Lucia E, et al. (2019) A novel group of avian astroviruses from Neotropical passerine birds broaden the diversity and host range of Astroviridae. Sci Rep 9:1–9.
4. François S, Pybus OG (2020) Towards an understanding of the avian virome. J Gen Virol 101:785-790 Garcia SC, Navarro Lopez R, Morales R, et al . (2013) Molecular epidemiology of newcastle disease in Mexico and the potential spillover of viruses from poultry into wild bird species. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4985–4992
5. (2020) Towards an understanding of the avian virome. J Gen Virol 101:785-790 Garcia SC, Navarro Lopez R, Morales R, et al . (2013) Molecular epidemiology of newcastle disease in Mexico and the potential spillover of viruses from poultry into wild bird species. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4985–4992 (2020) Towards an understanding of the avian virome. J Gen Virol 101:785-790 Garcia SC, Navarro Lopez R, Morales R, et al . (2013) Molecular epidemiology of newcastle disease in Mexico and the potential spillover of viruses from poultry into wild bird species. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4985–4992
6. (2020) Towards an understanding of the avian virome. J Gen Virol 101:785-790 Garcia SC, Navarro Lopez R, Morales R, et al . (2013) Molecular epidemiology of newcastle disease in Mexico and the potential spillover of viruses from poultry into wild bird species. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4985–4992 (2020) Towards an understanding of the avian virome. J Gen Virol 101:785-790 Garcia SC, Navarro Lopez R, Morales R, et al . (2013) Molecular epidemiology of newcastle disease in Mexico and the potential spillover of viruses from poultry into wild bird species. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4985–4992
7. (2020) Towards an understanding of the avian virome. J Gen Virol 101:785-790 Garcia SC, Navarro Lopez R, Morales R, et al . (2013) Molecular epidemiology of newcastle disease in Mexico and the potential spillover of viruses from poultry into wild bird species. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4985–4992 & (2020) Towards an understanding of the avian virome. J Gen Virol 101:785-790 Garcia SC, Navarro Lopez R, Morales R, et al . (2013) Molecular epidemiology of newcastle disease in Mexico and the potential spillover of viruses from poultry into wild bird species. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4985–4992 (2018). Identification of two novel CRESS DNA viruses associated with an avipoxvirus lesion of a blueand- gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus). Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 60: 89-96
8. (2018). Identification of two novel CRESS DNA viruses associated with an avipoxvirus lesion of a blueand- gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus). Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 60: 89-96 & (2020) Towards an understanding of the avian virome. J Gen Virol 101:785-790 Garcia SC, Navarro Lopez R, Morales R, et al . (2013) Molecular epidemiology of newcastle disease in Mexico and the potential spillover of viruses from poultry into wild bird species. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4985–4992 (2018). Identification of two novel CRESS DNA viruses associated with an avipoxvirus lesion of a blueand- gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus). Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 60: 89-96
9. (2018). Identification of two novel CRESS DNA viruses associated with an avipoxvirus lesion of a blueand- gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus). Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 60: 89-96 (2018). Identification of two novel CRESS DNA viruses associated with an avipoxvirus lesion of a blueand- gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus). Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 60: 89-96
10. (2018). Identification of two novel CRESS DNA viruses associated with an avipoxvirus lesion of a blueand- gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus). Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 60: 89-96 (2017) Reverse spillover of avian viral vaccine strains from domesticated poultry to wild birds. Vaccine 35:3523– 3527
11. (2017) Reverse spillover of avian viral vaccine strains from domesticated poultry to wild birds. Vaccine 35:3523– 3527 (2017) Reverse spillover of avian viral vaccine strains from domesticated poultry to wild birds. Vaccine 35:3523– 3527
12. (2017) Reverse spillover of avian viral vaccine strains from domesticated poultry to wild birds. Vaccine 35:3523– 3527 (2017) Reverse spillover of avian viral vaccine strains from domesticated poultry to wild birds. Vaccine 35:3523– 3527
13. (2017) Reverse spillover of avian viral vaccine strains from domesticated poultry to wild birds. Vaccine 35:3523– 3527 (2017) Reverse spillover of avian viral vaccine strains from domesticated poultry to wild birds. Vaccine 35:3523– 3527
14. *Trouted, DA; Moens, MAJ; Alleys, S; Pérez-Tris, J. & *Trouted, DA; Moens, MAJ; Alleys, S; Pérez-Tris, J. *Trouted, DA; Moens, MAJ; Alleys, S; Pérez-Tris, J.
15. *Trouted, DA; Moens, MAJ; Alleys, S; Pérez-Tris, J. & (2020) Towards an understanding of the avian virome. J Gen Virol 101:785-790 Garcia SC, Navarro Lopez R, Morales R, et al . (2013) Molecular epidemiology of newcastle disease in Mexico and the potential spillover of viruses from poultry into wild bird species. Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4985–4992 *Trouted, DA; Moens, MAJ; Alleys, S; Pérez-Tris, J.
16. *Trouted, DA; Moens, MAJ; Alleys, S; Pérez-Tris, J. *Trouted, DA; Moens, MAJ; Alleys, S; Pérez-Tris, J.
17. *Trouted, DA; Moens, MAJ; Alleys, S; Pérez-Tris, J. (2014). Polymerase chain reaction detection of avipox and avian papillomavirus in naturally infected wild birds: comparisons of blood, swab and tissue samples. Avian Pathology, 2:130 – 134.