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Metagenomics detection and characterisation of viruses in faecal samples from Australian wild birds

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journal contribution
posted on 2018-06-06, 00:00 authored by Jessy Vibin, Anthony Chamings, Fiona Collier, Marcel KlaassenMarcel Klaassen, Tiffanie Nelson, Soren AlexandersenSoren Alexandersen
We present an optimised metagenomics method for detection and characterisation of all virus types including single and double stranded DNA/RNA and enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. Initial evaluation included both spiked and non-spiked bird faecal samples as well as non-spiked human faecal samples. From the non-spiked bird samples (Australian Muscovy duck and Pacific black ducks) we detected 21 viruses, and we also present a summary of a few viruses detected in human faecal samples. We then present a detailed analysis of selected virus sequences in the avian samples that were somewhat similar to known viruses, and had good quality (Q20 or higher) and quantity of next-generation sequencing reads, and was of interest from a virological point of view, for example, avian coronavirus and avian paramyxovirus 6. Some of these viruses were closely related to known viruses while others were more distantly related with 70% or less identity to currently known/sequenced viruses. Besides detecting viruses, the technique also allowed the characterisation of host mitochondrial DNA present and thus identifying host species, while ribosomal RNA sequences provided insight into the "ribosomal activity microbiome"; of gut parasites; and of food eaten such as plants or insects, which we correlated to non-avian host associated viruses.

History

Journal

Scientific reports

Volume

8

Issue

1

Article number

8686

Pagination

1 - 23

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Location

London, Eng.

ISSN

2045-2322

eISSN

2045-2322

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2018, The Authors