Ticks (Ixodidae) are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites that serve as the most prolific arthropod vectors for disseminating infectious agents among both humans and animals populations [1]. They possess the capacity to harbor and transmit a diverse array of pathogens, encompassing viruses, bacteria, and protozoa [1]. In recent years, the escalating number of severe public health incidents caused by tick-borne viruses has attracted widespread attention from the public [2]. With the rapid urbanization and climate change-induced tick habitats alteration and expansion, coupled with increased interactions between humans, animals, and ticks, the threats of tick-borne diseases to public health are progressively intensifying [2].
Tick-borne viruses currently belong to 11 families, mainly including the families Phenuiviridae, Nairoviridae, Peribunyaviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Nyamiviridae, Flaviviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Reoviridae, Asfarviridae, Circoviridae and Poxviridae. The last three viral families are all DNA viruses (Asfarviridae, Circoviridae and Poxviridae) while other eight viral families are all RNA viruses. Interestingly, zoonotic virus can only be found in the RNA virus families. Multiple novel tick-borne virus species showed novel genome structure and sequence, which made them hard to be classified appropriately including JMTV [3, 4]. Several viruses have caused the outbreaks of fatal human diseases, posing a significant threat to public health, such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), the Colorado tick fever virus (CTFV), thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), and the newly discovered Heartland virus (HRTV) [5–8]. Moreover, with the application of Viral-metagenome, a multitude of novel viruses have been identified, including Beiji nairovirus, isolated in China in 2021, Bourbon virus detected in the United States, and Toyo virus from Japan [9–11]. Further investigation is necessary to profile their prevalence, distribution and potential threat toward public health.
JMVT was first reported in the Jingmen City of Hubei Province, China, during a screening study for Huaiyangshang virus. It is noteworthy that the genome of JMTV is segmented Positive-sense single-stranded RNA, consisting of four distinct segments. Segments 1 and 3 of JMTV encode non-structural proteins NSP1 and NSP2, which showed the high level of homologous with the NS5 and NS2b/NS3 proteins of flaviviruses. Surprisingly, segments 2 and 4 coding sequence display the uniqueness and no homologous sequences were identified in GenBank, suggesting the potential derivation from novel, yet unidentified sources [12]. In subsequent studies, JMTV has been detected in ticks from South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Additionally, JMTV has been identified in bats of China, buffaloes of Brazil and in red colobus monkeys of Uganda. Petra Emmerich et al. reported the detection of JMTV genome in the patients with CCHF in Kosovo [13–16].
JMTV has been detected in various tick species, such as Haemaphysalis longicornis and Rhipicephalus microplus, in nine provinces across China, including Hubei, Fujian, and Yunnan, et al. Additionally, Jing-Jing Guo et al. have also detected JMTV in buffalo and bats. Zhu-Mei Yu et al. reported that the prevalence rate of JMTV in liver of rodents in Xinjiang was 25.6% [17, 18]. Na Jia et al. conducted high-throughput sequencing on 16 skin biopsy specimens of tick bite sites, resulting in the identification of 4 JMTV genome sequences [19]. In the four JMTV positive cases, which presented the mild symptoms including fever, headache, and myalgia, histopathology analysis revealed substantial coagulation necrosis and inflammatory infiltration. Severe cases required hospitalization due to high fever [19]. In 2017, Alongshan virus (ALSV), another member of Jingmenvirus group, was firstly reported in the blood of a patient bitten by a tick in Inner Mongolia, China. Subsequently, ALSV was detected in ticks, cloven-hoofed animals and human sera in northern China and northern Europe. The NSP1 and NSP2 of ALSV are highly homologous with JMTV [20]. Subsequently, more segmented flaviviruses similar to JMTV, including ALSV, Takachi virus, Xinjiang tick-borne virus, and Newport tick virus, were discovered by metagenomic sequencing and clustered within the Jingmenvirus group [21]. However, the epidemiological investigations of segmented flaviviruses within China are still insufficient.
Jiangxi Province is located in the southeast of China. Due to abundant rainfall, lush vegetation, and diverse wildlife species, it provides a highly suitable habitat for wild boars and ticks in most areas of Jiangxi Province [22]. However, investigation and research on tick-borne viruses in Jiangxi Province have been rarely reported. In addition, wild boars are important vectors for the interaction between humans and the wild ecological environment in Jiangxi Province. In this study, qRT-PCR was employed to detect the prevalence of JMTV collected from wild boars in Jiangxi, and the JMTV genome sequences were obtained by Viral-metagenome. These data provided additional information of JMTV distribution and genetic background in Jiangxi Province, and highlighted the potential zoonotic threats in the wild boars.