Spleen and lung virome analysis of South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) collected on the southern Brazilian coast

South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) are believed to reach the coast of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) through sea currents. They live in colonies and are frequently found resting on the beach. However, it is also common to find dead pinnipeds on beaches, sharing the environment with humans, domestic animals and other wild species on the coast and facilitating the transmission of pathogens. In the present study, a metagenomic approach was applied to evaluate the viral diversity in organs of fur seals found deceased along the coast of the state of RS, southern Brazil. The lungs and spleens of 29 animals were collected, macerated individually, pooled separately (one pool for lungs and another for spleens) and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Sequences more closely related to members of the Anelloviridae and Circoviridae families were detected. Nine putative new species of anellovirus and one putative new genus, named Nitorquevirus, were described. Additionally, the circovirus sequences found in the lungs of A. australis have a common ancestor with PCV3, a proposed swine pathogen. Our study expanded the knowledge about viral communities in pinnipeds and could be useful for monitoring new viruses and potential viral sharing among wildlife, domestic animals, and humans.

Characterization of the viral genomes present in commercial batches of horse serum obtained by high-throughput sequencing

Horses are often used as blood donors for commercial horse serum (HS) production and to manufacture biologicals. HS is an alternative for fetal bovine serum (FBS) used as a supplement for cell culture and vaccine production. Furthermore, HS is also frequently obtained in order to produce antisera toxins and pathogens. The advent of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) has promoted changes in virus detection, since previous knowledge of targets is not required. Thus, the present study aimed to describe the virome of five different batches of commercial HS from New Zealand (three batches) and Brazil and the United States (one batch each) using HTS. Each HS pool were processed and sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq platform. Sequences-related to viruses belonging to the Flaviviridae, Herpesviridae, and Parvoviridae families were detected. Particularly, equine hepacivirus (EqHV), equine pegivirus (EPgV), and Theiler's disease-associated virus (TDAV) were more frequent found in the batches analyzed. The presence of viral genomes in cell culture sera illustrates that these commercial sera can contain a mixture of different viruses and, therefore, can be regarded as potentially infectious for susceptible hosts. Moreover, the innocuity of commercial HS is important for the efficiency and security of diagnostics and the production of biological products.