Rodent-associated viruses in Asia: ecological drivers, host-virus associations and insights from a systematic review

Rodent-associated viruses are important zoonotic agents of increasing relevance to public and veterinary health. Muroid rodents occupy diverse natural and human-modified environments, facilitating interactions with humans, livestock and wildlife. However, knowledge of rodent-associated viral diversity and the ecological processes influencing viral maintenance and transmission remains fragmented. This review synthesizes published literature on viral diversity, host-virus associations, research trends, and ecological drivers of viral occurrence in Asian muroid rodents. PubMed and Scopus were systematically searched using terms related to rodents, viruses, and Asian regions. Extracted data included publication characteristics, diagnostic methods, host and virus taxonomy, geography, and ecological metadata. Descriptive analyses, geospatial mapping, and network approaches were applied to identify patterns and knowledge gaps. Of 1,049 records retrieved, 165 studies published between 1968-2025 from 30 Asian countries met the inclusion criteria. These studies documented 106 viral taxa representing 74 genera and 35 families. Research activity increased markedly after 2000 alongside advances in molecular diagnostics and metagenomic sequencing. Studies were concentrated in East and mainland Southeast Asia. Orthohantavirus spp. were the most studied viral group, whereas many other viruses remained poorly characterized. Network analyses identified core murine genera, particularly Rattus, Apodemus, Niviventer, Bandicota and Mus, sharing extensive viral associations. Host age, sex, population density, habitat disturbance, climate, and biodiversity were commonly linked with viral prevalence and dynamics. Despite substantial progress, gaps remain in ecological integration, longitudinal surveillance, and comparative study design. Future research should prioritize standardized, ecologically informed surveillance within an integrated One Health framework to improve zoonotic risk assessment and prevention.