Host switching in arenaviruses

What is it about?

We demonstrated that groups of viruses (clades) have evolved with different abilities to switch into new hosts. In the New World arenaviruses we tested using a variety of methods whether the viruses were found in more closely related hosts than expected by chance from a regional pool of mammals, a signal of host and virus adaptation. Or if viruses were more likely to infect mammals based on their opportunity to infect, that is found in mammals with overlapping distribution. We found that different clades of viruses were associated differently with their hosts. The most pathogenic clade were able to infect the broadest range of hosts and host switching was mostly likely due to availability of a host to infect rather than if the previous host was related to the new host. The most pathogenic group that can cause death in humans seems to have to ability to switch into the widest range of mammals. Analysing viral-host relationships looking at spatial distribution as well as genetic constraints facilitates new understanding on the evolution and predictability of viral evolution.

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Why is it important?

Our findings show that new world arenaviruses clades are evolving differently and that the paradigm of one natural host per viruses is not the case. Thus understanding ecological dsitrbuitions (host availablity) as well as genetic relatedness are important components to understand co-viral host swtching.