Botermans, Marleen, de Koning, P.P.M., Westenberg, M., Adams, I.P., Ben Mansour, K., Chabi-Jesus, C., de Krom, C., Dullemans, A.M., Festus, R., Fowkes, A.R., Fox, A., Freitas-Astúa, J., Hajizadeh, M., Hellin, P., Knierim, D., Krenz, B., Maclot, F., Malandraki, I., Maliogka, V.I., Margaria, P., Massart, S., Meekes, E.T.M., Menzel, W., Oplaat, C.G., Orfanidou, C., Ramos-González, P.L., Roenhorst, J.W., Ros, V.I.D, Seal, S. E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3952-1562, Silva, G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5544-2947, Silva dos Santos, G., Tzanetakis, I.E., van der Vlugt, R.A.A., van Gemert, J., Varveri, C., Verbeek, M., Winter, S. and Giesbers, A.K.J. (2026) Expanding insights into plant rhabdovirus diversity through the discovery of viruses representing 32 putative novel species. Archives of Virology, 171:156. ISSN 0304-8608 (Print), 1432-8798 (Online) (doi:10.1007/s00705-026-06609-1)

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Abstract

Plant-infecting rhabdoviruses (family Rhabdoviridae, subfamily Betarhabdovirinae) include several viruses that cause important crop diseases and are subject to phytosanitary regulation. Despite their agricultural and ecological importance, the diversity of plant rhabdoviruses and their impact on plant health remain poorly understood. Here, we report 32 tentative novel species of plant-infecting rhabdoviruses, identified via high-throughput sequencing and spanning nine established genera. The virus sequences originated from diverse hosts and geographic regions, revealing extensive diversity within the family Rhabdoviridae. Several viruses were detected independently in the same host species across multiple countries, demonstrating the practical value of data sharing for confirming host associations and gaining insight into the geographic distribution of these viruses. Our study highlights the underexplored diversity of plant rhabdoviruses and demonstrates the value of coordinated, collaborative virus discovery. With HTS now widely accessible, the challenge has shifted from virus discovery to making sequence data and metadata publicly available, and to conducting the time-consuming biological characterization often deprioritized in favour of viruses with immediate phytosanitary relevance. As a result, many findings remain unreported, leaving valuable data dormant on servers. By sharing genomic data prior to publication, we present an efficient approach to accelerate virus reporting, enable comparative analyses and advance understanding of virus diversity. We hope this collaborative effort will encourage further exploration of plant viruses, including those from hosts without discernable symptoms, supporting virus biology, taxonomy, pest risk assessments, and plant health policies.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This study did not involve human participants or animals. Plant samples were collected and analyzed in accordance with institutional, national, and international guidelines. No specific ethical approval was required for this study. The work at Uliège was supported by the postdoctoral fellowship INVASIVIR from the Fond National de la Recherche Scientifique (n°1.B.325.25), and the research that yielded these results, was funded by the Belgian Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment through the contract RI 23/E-447 VIRISK. The work at Fera was funded under a long term service agreement with Defra, UK. The analysis of the sample of AUTH was conducted within the framework of InnoPP - TAEDR-0535675 that is funded by the European Union- Next Generation EU, Greece 2.0 National Recovery and Resilience plan, National Flagship Initiative “Agriculture and Food Industry”. The HTS sequencing of Czech samples was funded by the European Virus Archive Global (EVA-GLOBAL) project, which received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 871029.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	plant rhabdovirus, high-throughput sequencing, data sharing, virus discovery, virus diversity
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) Q Science > QK Botany Q Science > QR Microbiology > QR355 Virology
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Sustainable Agriculture 4 One Health Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Sustainable Agriculture 4 One Health > Molecular Virology & Entomology
Last Modified:	13 Apr 2026 15:47
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/52822

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