Molecular detection of novel Jingmen tick virus in hard ticks from diverse hosts in Guangxi, southwestern China.

Background: Ticks are the second most important vectors of arboviruses after mosquitoes, and they also serve as reservoir hosts for some zoonotic diseases. It is essential to understand the prevalence of tick-borne viruses in ticks from different sampling sites and vectors, as this information can facilitate the surveillance and prevention of arboviral infectious diseases.

Methods: We systematically collected ticks from a variety of animals, including wildlife and domestic livestock, across 18 distinct regions in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region(Guangxi). We then identified the ticks using traditional morphological classification and molecular biology methods to investigate the diversity of ticks in the regionWe also systematically examined the diversity of viruses carried by ticks using comprehensive virological methods based on viral metagenomics. We performed phylogenetic and recombination analyses for the assembled viral sequences.

Results: We collected 1286 Ixodidae from 18 sampling sites in 17 districts of Guangxi. We identified 4 genera and 6 species of Ixodidae. We annotated 2 unclassified viruses and 13 known viral families. We assembled 208 nucleotide sequences and obtained six near full-length sequences of Jingmen tick virus (JMTV). Among these sequences, GXTV-PC4.2 and GXTV-43 were new mutant strains of JMTV. We detected genetic recombination of JMTV in segments 2, 3, and 4 of JMTV.

Conclusions: Our study uncovers a diverse tick fauna in Guangxi, including 4 genera and 6 species, and a broad virome with 13 viral families and 2 novel viruses. The JMTV, in particular, shows significant genetic diversity and potential for cross-species transmission, marked by new strains and recombination events. These findings underscore the need for vigilant tick-borne disease surveillance in Guangxi.