Virome profiling of fig wasps (Ceratosolen spp.) reveals virus diversity spanning four realms
Bishwo N Adhikari1, Adrian C Paskey2, Kenneth G Frey3
1Genomics and Bioinformatics Department, Biological Defense Research Directorate, Naval Medical Research Command, Frederick, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA; Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060, USA.
Abstract:
We investigated the virome of agaonid fig wasps (Ceratosolen spp.) inside syconia ("fruits") of various Ficus trees fed upon by frugivores such as pteropodid bats in Sub-Saharan Africa. This virome includes representatives of viral families spanning four realms and includes near-complete genome sequences of three novel viruses and fragments of five additional potentially novel viruses evolutionarily associated with insects, fungi, plants, and vertebrates. Our study provides evidence that frugivorous animals are exposed to a plethora of viruses by coincidental consumption of fig wasps, which are obligate pollinators of figs worldwide.
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