Rondônia Virus

Many virusses, known and unknown, are maintained and spread by anthropods, like mosquitoes and ticks. Many of these viruses are maintained in nature by a natural vertebrate reservoir, such as bats. Bats seem to be able to 'tolerate' potential zoonotic viruses in greater numbers and can therefore act as a reservoir for many potential emerging diseases[1].

[Antricola tick]

Scientists investigated the virome of adult Antricola ticks, collected in a swelteringly hot bat cave in the state of Rondônia in the western Brazilian Amazonia[2]. All species of Antricola ticks are known to infect cave-dwelling bats.

They identified a large number of novel viral sequences from various families, among them a novel Orthomyxovirus that had a 45% sequence identity to known thogotoviruses, such as Bourbon Virus, Oz Virus and Dhori Virus.

So, again we have a new Influenza-like virus that has the built-in potential to jump from bats, ticks or mosquitoes to humans. It is just a matter of time before we fall victim to one of these previously unknown virusses, just like the novel Coronavirus that is now ravaging China.

[1] Mandl: Going to Bat(s) for Studies of Disease Tolerance in Frontiers of Immunology 2018
[2] Blomström et al: Novel Viruses Found in Antricola Ticks Collected in Bat Caves in the Western Amazonia of Brazil in Viruses - 2019. See here.