Abstract Title
Metaviromics reveals a diversity of viruses belonging to the Caliciviridae family in seal feces.
Presenter
Marion Desdouits, Ifremer
Co-Author(s)
Marion Desdouits (1), Cécile Le Mennec (1), Julien Schaeffer (1), Herlé Goraguer (2), Michèle Gourmelon (3) et Soizick F. Le Guyader (1)
1 : Ifremer, U. Microbiologie Aliment Santé Environnement, LSEM/RBE, Nantes
2 : Ifremer, Délégation de Saint Pierre et Miquelon
3 : Ifremer, Dyneco-Pelagos, Plouzané, France
Abstract Category
Molecular Epidemiology & Evolution
Abstract
Seals are coastal mammals living in sometimes large, protected populations, with unknown consequences on the microbiological quality of the coastal waters. Their potential as reservoirs of zoonotic viruses remains to be explored. Several genera of the Caliciviridae were identified in marine mammals – norovirus (harbour porpoise), sapovirus (sea lions) and vesivirus (sea lions, dolphins, wales) – in the past, but not in seals. Here, we underdook a study on the viral diversity of seal feces to gain further knowledge on the viruses circulating in these animals.
Feces from two species of seals (Phoca vitulina and Halichoerus grypus) were sampled on the shore of the French overseas archipelago, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, in the North-western Atlantic, and analyzed by metaviromics. De novo assembly of the sequenced reads yielded partial sequences and whole genomes related to the Caliciviridae. Phylogenetics suggest that these viruses could represent new genogroups or P-types among the noroviruses, new genotypes of sapovirus, new species of vesivirus and a new genus of fish Caliciviridae. New sequences of the Atlantic salmon calicivirus (Salovirus) were also obtained.
This study confirms that marine mammals are a reservoir of many Caliciviridae, and that their virome is important to study to anticipate pathogen emergence and understand Caliciviridae evolution. It will allow to design tools for the monitoring of the coastal contamination by viruses from seals. It also unravels the diversity of some fish viruses, although the precise host could not be identified.
Feces from two species of seals (Phoca vitulina and Halichoerus grypus) were sampled on the shore of the French overseas archipelago, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, in the North-western Atlantic, and analyzed by metaviromics. De novo assembly of the sequenced reads yielded partial sequences and whole genomes related to the Caliciviridae. Phylogenetics suggest that these viruses could represent new genogroups or P-types among the noroviruses, new genotypes of sapovirus, new species of vesivirus and a new genus of fish Caliciviridae. New sequences of the Atlantic salmon calicivirus (Salovirus) were also obtained.
This study confirms that marine mammals are a reservoir of many Caliciviridae, and that their virome is important to study to anticipate pathogen emergence and understand Caliciviridae evolution. It will allow to design tools for the monitoring of the coastal contamination by viruses from seals. It also unravels the diversity of some fish viruses, although the precise host could not be identified.