Complete Genomes of DNA Viruses in Fecal Samples from Small Terrestrial Mammals in Spain

Viromics studies are allowing us to understand not only the enormous diversity of the virosphere, but also the potential threat posed by the emerging viruses. Regarding the latter, the main concern lies in monitoring the presence of RNA viruses, but the zoonotic potential of some DNA viruses, on which we have focused in the present study, should also be highlighted. For this purpose, we analyzed 160 fecal samples from 14 species of small terrestrial mammals, 9 of them belonging to the order Rodentia. This allowed us to identify a total of 25 complete or near-complete genomes belonging to the families Papillomaviridae, Polyomaviridae, Adenoviridae, Circoviridae, and Genomoviridae, 18 of which could be considered new species or types. Our results provide a significant increase in the number of complete genomes of DNA viruses of European origin with zoonotic potential in databases, which are at present under-represented compared to RNA viruses. In addition, the characterization of whole genomes is of relevance for the further study of the evolutionary forces governing virus adaptation, such as recombination, which may play an important role in cross-species transmission.