Latitude-driven patterns and dynamics in Jingmen group viral lineages: Spatial correlation, recombination, and phylogeography

The global emergence of Jingmen group viruses (JMVs), including Jingmen tick virus (JMTV), Alongshan virus (ALSV), and Yanggou tick virus (YGTV), has significantly broadened our perspective on the potential public health risks posed by segmented flaviviruses. However, the global evolutionary and genetic epidemiology of JMVs remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the spatial correlation, recombination, and phylogeography of JMVs. Our phylogenetic analysis identified three latitudinal lineages: (1) a mid–high-latitude group with YGTV and ALSV, prevalent in Europe and Asia; (2) a mid-latitude group with JMTV in Romania, Turkey, Kosovo, Trinidad, and Tobago; and (3) a mid–low-latitude group with JMTV and the Sichuan tick virus in Brazil, Japan, China, Kenya, and Uganda. The strong correlation between genetic distance and latitude also supports a latitude-dependent evolutionary pattern. Notably, concordance between the phylogenies of dominant tick species and JMVs underscores the pivotal role of tick species in the evolution of JMVs. Furthermore, the detection of frequent intra-lineage recombination and global migration events underscores the ecological pressures and tick-mediated evolutionary mechanisms that propel the global dissemination of emerging segmented flaviviruses. Additionally, the complex interplay of JMV recombination and migration events of JMVs identified here, particularly the recombination between JMTV and ALSV from disparate regions and viral migration across different regions and continents, complicates their evolutionary interrelationships and heightens potential health risks. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into ecological factors and tick species-mediated evolution and transmission that shape the global spread of emerging segmented flaviviruses.