Macrogenomic analysis showcases the diversity of tick RNA viruses in Mentougou, Beijing, China

Ticks are the second most significant vector of human pathogens worldwide, with 911 documented species globally and a broad distributed across China. Currently, over 160 tick-borne viruses (TBVs) have been identified, several of which pose substantial threats to human health, such as Dabie bandavirus, Jingmen tick virus, Alongshan virus, Songling virus, Beiji nairovirus, and Langya henipavirus, raising increasing global attention. Despite their significance, the diversity of TBVs in Beijing remains poorly characterized.

In this study, we conducted metagenomic sequencing on tick samples collected from Mentougou District, Beijing. The obtained reads were subjected to quality control, de novo assembly, and viral sequence identification, followed by phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses.

Our results identified 19 distinct viral species spanning 12 families, including Hepelivirales, Solemoviridae,Mymonaviridae, Nodaviridae,Permutotetraviridae, Phenuiviridae,Rhabdoviridae, Tombusviridae,Totiviridae, Peribunyaviridae,Flaviviridae, Nodaviridae,Tymoviridae, Tombusviridae. Among these, six novel viruses from five virus families were discovered. A potential pathogen, Tick jingmen-like virus, was also detected in the selected pathogens. These findings underscore the remarkable diversity of RNA viruses harbored by ticks in Mentougou District.

Our research findings reveal a previously unrecognized diversity of tick-borne viruses in the Mentougou District, Beijing, and provide essential baseline data for informing future surveillance strategies and guiding prevention and control of tick-borne diseases in the Beijing metropolitan area.