First molecular detection of the genus Almendravirus in Johnbelkinia ulopus and Anopheles apicimacula mosquitoes from the Colombian Caribbean.

BACKGROUND

Rhabdoviridae includes many viruses, among which rabies virus is notable. Other genera in this family can infect mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and plants.

METHODS

Between October 2022 and July 2023, mosquitoes were collected from some municipalities in the Córdoba and Cesar departments, Colombian Caribbean. Pools were formed according to taxonomic identification and geographic area. RNA was extracted, and sequencing was performed using MGI-G50 platform. Bioinformatics analyses were performed using the Galaxy platform and the Diamond-MEGAN program. The MAFFT program was used for sequence alignment. The Prokka program was used for genome annotation, IQ-TREE was used for phylogenetic reconstruction, and iTOL was used to visualize and edit the tree. The Clustal Omega program of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL-EBI) was used to construct a percent similarity matrix, and Unipro UGENE was used to align the amino acids of the L protein with the conserved consensus sequence (GDNQ).

RESULTS

Two new genomes showing high similarity to Almendravirus arboretum (ABTV), and Almendravirus chico (RCHV) were identified in a single pool of Johnbelkinia ulopus mosquitoes collected in Córdoba. Additionally, a third genome with a low similarity percentage to the L segment of the Almendravirus menghai (MRV) from China was detected in Anopheles apicimacula from Cesar.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study in Colombia that reports the ABTV and RCHV in Jb. ulopus mosquitoes and the first report of a phylogenetically similar sequence to the MRV, which could be a new virus of the Rhabdoviridae family.