Gushan virus: a newly discovered virus found in mosquitoes of Shandong, China.

Abstract

Arboviruses persist as a significant threat to global public and human health. The advent of macrogenomics technology has substantially expanded our understanding of mosquito-borne viruses by facilitating the direct identification and characterization of viruses from diverse environmental samples. In 2022, we conducted mosquito surveillance in the Shandong region of China and discovered a novel virus, tentatively named Gushan virus based on the site of discovery. In this study, a total of 3170 mosquitoes were collected and divided into 62 pools based on species and collection locations. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and nested PCR were employed to detect Gushan virus nucleic acids in all samples. The results revealed that 16 pools were positive, with a minimum infection rate (MIR) of 0.5% (16/3,170). Concurrently, we successfully obtained one complete genome sequence and six partial sequences. Nucleotide homology analysis demonstrated a high degree of sequence identity, indicating that Gushan virus may maintain a stable genetic profile in the region. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Gushan virus is most closely related to Drosophila immigrans Nora virus of the family Noroviridae. Taxonomically, Gushan virus belongs to the order Picornavirales, family Noroviridae, and genus Orthonoravirus. This study contributes new insights into the diversity of mosquito-associated viruses.