Novel orthohepeviruses in wild rodents from São Paulo State, Brazil

ABSTRACT

The Hepeviridae comprise single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses classified into two genera, Orthohepevirus and Piscihepevirus. Orthohepeviruses have a wide host range that includes rodents, but previous studies had been restricted to rodents of the Muridae family. In this study, we applied a high-throughput sequencing approach to examine the presence of orthohepeviruses in rodents from São Paulo State, Brazil. We also used RT-PCR to determine the frequency of orthohepeviruses in our sampled population. We identified novel orthohepeviruses in blood samples derived from Necromys lasiurus (1.19%) and Calomys tener (3.66%). Therefore, our results expand the host range and viral diversity of the Hepeviridae family. / This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil (Grant number. 13/14929-1, and Scholarships No. 17/13981-0; 12/24150-9; 15/05778-5; 14/20851-8; 16/01414-1; 06/00572-0; 08/06411-4 11/06810-9; 11/22663-6; 16/02568-2). PRM was supported by the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom (Grant MC_UU_120/14/9).