Work

Detection, characterization, and evolutionary inferences regarding a novel virus identified in Amblyomma dissimile Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) from the Amazon, Pará, Brazil

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Ticks are among the primary vectors of infectious agents of medical and veterinary importance, second only to mosquitoes in the number of pathogens transmitted to humans. These arthropods are capable of transmitting a wide diversity of microorganisms, including protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. Notable among tick-borne viruses are those associated with viral encephalitis, which cause severe acute and chronic neurological infections in humans. This study aimed to characterize the RNA virome of an Amblyomma dissimile specimen collected from a Boa constrictor rescued in the municipality of Ananindeua, Pará state, in the Brazilian Amazon, using an RNA metagenomic sequencing approach. A total of eleven viral sequences were identified, distributed across five families: Chuviridae (n = 2), Rhabdoviridae (n = 2), Orthomyxoviridae (n = 5), Nodaviridae (n = 1), and Orthototiviridae (n = 1). A key finding was the identification of Dissimile tick rhabdovirus a potential new member of the Rhabdoviridae family described here for the first time, with no prior records in the scientific literature. Additionally, segments of Granville quaranjavirus were detected in Brazil for the first time, expanding the known geographic distribution of this virus. These results highlight the underrepresentation of viral diversity associated with Brazilian ticks in reference databases, underscoring the need to expand metagenomic surveillance and virological characterization efforts in the country, particularly given the potential impacts of climate change on tick distribution and virus circulation dynamics.

Source: Archives of Virology

DOI: 10.1007/s00705-026-06764-5