The Brazilian South coast seasonally hosts numerous marine species, observed particularly during winter months. Some animals, including fur seals, are found dead or debilitated along the shore and may harbor potential pathogens within their microbiota. In the present study, a metagenomic approach was performed to evaluate the viral diversity in feces of fur seals found deceased along the coast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The fecal virome of two fur seal species was characterized: the South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) and the Subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis). Fecal samples from 10 specimens (A. australis, n = 5; A. tropicalis, n = 5) were collected and viral particles were purified, extracted and amplified with a random PCR. The products were sequenced through Ion Torrent and Illumina platforms and assembled reads were submitted to BLASTx searches. Both viromes were dominated by bacteriophages and included a number of potentially novel virus genomes. Sequences of picobirnaviruses, picornaviruses and a hepevirus-like were identified in A. australis. A rotavirus related to group C, a novel member of the Sakobuvirus and a sapovirus very similar to California sea lion sapovirus 1 were found in A. tropicalis. Additionally, sequences of members of the Anelloviridae and Parvoviridae families were detected in both fur seal species. This is the first metagenomic study to screen the fecal virome of fur seals, contributing to a better understanding of the complexity of the viral community present in the intestinal microbiota of these animals.
Virology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;Virology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;CECLIMAR (Center for Coastal, Limnology and Marine Studies), UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), Imbé, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;CECLIMAR (Center for Coastal, Limnology and Marine Studies), UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), Imbé, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;Genomic and Molecular Biology Laboratory, PUCRS (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;IPR (Institute of Petroleum and Natural Resources), PUCRS (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;Virology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;Virology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Recommended Citation:
Mariana Kluge,Fabrício Souza Campos,Maurício Tavares,et al. Metagenomic Survey of Viral Diversity Obtained from Feces of Subantarctic and South American Fur Seals[J]. PLOS ONE,2016-01-01,11(3)