Virome analysis of environmental water in wildlife habitat to understand viral flora of wild animals

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K06392
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 42020:Veterinary medical science-related
• Research Institution: Tottori University
• Principal Investigator: Yamaguchi Tsuyoshi 鳥取大学, 農学部, 教授 (70210367)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 野生動物 / 環境水 / ウイローム / ウイルス感染症 / 家畜 / 次世代シーケンス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To understand the prevalence of viruses in the wildlife environment, virome analyses were conducted on environmental water samples obtained from wildlife habitats and swab samples collected from wild ducks. Various viruses including never reported in Japan were detected in the water and duck swabs. These findings reveal the existence of a potential risk from wildlife-derived viruses and the actual situation of virus introduction into Japan by migratory birds. In some environmental water samples collected at water sites relatively close to livestock farms, viral sequences almost identical to the viruses usually detected from livestock were detected, indicating the possibility of spread of livestock-derived viruses to wild animals via environmental water. It was concluded that water sites are useful for monitoring various viruses that can be a potential risk for One Health because there are possibility for wildlife, livestock, and human contact and the ease of sample collection.

Free Research Field

動物衛生学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

野生動物が利用する水場環境水から国内未報告ウイルスを含む多様なウイルスを検出し、野生動物が保有するウイルス探索における環境水の有用性を示した。また、環境DNAによる動物相解析により検出ウイルスの宿主動物推定に道を拓いた。野生カモ類スワブの網羅的ウイルス検出では、渡り鳥による国内未報告ウイルス持ち込みを明らかにした。一部の環境水からは、家畜由来の可能性が高いウイルスが検出され、環境水を介した家畜から野生動物へのウイルス伝播の可能性を示した。以上より、環境水を検索対象とする野生動物ウイルス叢解析という新たな分野を開拓し、ワンヘルスの潜在的リスクとなるウイルス監視における環境水の重要性を示した。