RNA virome analysis of hematophagous Chironomoidea flies (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae and Simuliidae) collected in Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

The development of sequencing technologies, in recent years, gives novel insights into the diversity of viruses in arthropods. Human pathogenic or possible pathogenic arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) including novel viruses from mosquitoes and ticks have been found by RNA virome analysis using a high-throughput sequencer. However, virome studies for other blood-sucking arthropods like biting midges as well as black flies are relatively scarce. In this study, to find viruses in hematophagous Chironomoidea flies, we performed RNA virome analyses of field-caught female Culicoides arakawae and Simulium aureohirtum as a pilot study. In the analyses, six novel viruses belonging to five virus taxa were detected, showing that RNA virome analysis using the next-generation sequencer was a strong method for understanding the viruses in both biting midges and black flies. This study indicated that C. arakawae and S. aureohirtum, which are not a popular vector for human pathogenic viruses, have a variety of viruses which are as many as other important vectors including mosquitoes and ticks. Furthermore, RNA virome analysis of a variety of blood-sucking insects will aid in not only discovering novel arboviruses but also understanding novel importance for arboviral vectors.