A Multicomponent Animal Virus Isolated from Mosquitoes

RNA viruses exhibit a variety of genome organization strategies, including multicomponent genomes in which each segment is packaged separately. Although multicomponent genomes are common among viruses infecting plants and fungi, their prevalence among those infecting animals remains unclear. We characterize a multicomponent RNA virus isolated from mosquitoes, designated Guaico Culex virus (GCXV). GCXV belongs to a diverse clade of segmented viruses (Jingmenvirus) related to the prototypically unsegmented Flaviviridae. The GCXV genome comprises five segments, each of which appears to be separately packaged. The smallest segment is not required for replication, and its presence is variable in natural infections. We also describe a variant of Jingmen tick virus, another Jingmenvirus, sequenced from a Ugandan red colobus monkey, thus expanding the host range of this segmented and likely multicomponent virus group. Collectively, this study provides evidence for the existence of multicomponent animal viruses and their potential relevance for animal and human health. [Display omitted] •Multicomponent viruses, formerly seen only in plants/fungi, can infect animal hosts•GCXV is an enveloped, multicomponent virus that infects mosquitoes•GCXV has five segments, one optional for replication and variably present in isolates•An evolutionarily related, segmented virus was observed in a non-human primate host Multicomponent viruses, which separately package different genome segments, were thought to be restricted to plant and fungal hosts. Ladner et al. characterize a multicomponent mosquito virus and describe an evolutionarily related, segmented virus in a nonhuman primate. These findings provide evidence for multicomponent animal viruses and suggest relevance to animal health.