Application of a Sensitive Capture Sequencing Approach to Reservoir Surveillance Detects Novel Viruses in Zambian Wild Rodents

We utilized a pan-viral capture sequencing assay, VirCapSeq-VERT, to assess viral diversity in rodents from the Eastern Province of Zambia as a model for pre-pandemic viral reservoir surveillance. We report rodent adeno-, parvo-, paramyxo-, and picornaviruses that represent novel species or isolates, including murine adenovirus 4, two additional species in the genus , two paramyxoviruses distantly related to unclassified viruses in the genus , and the first sequence identified from rodents in Africa. Our results emphasize the importance of rodents as a reservoir for potential zoonotic viruses.