Journal Article
Wyeomyia confusa Lispivirus (WcLispV-SP): a novel neotropical mosquito virus in the Lispiviridae family
Lilian de Oliveira Guimarães; Roseane da Silva Couto; Simone Luchetta Reginato; Luis Filipe Mucci; Ramendra Pati Pandey; Vera Lucia Fonseca de Camargo-Neves; Antonio Charlys da Costa; Karin Kirchgatter; Elcio Leal
Archives of Virology · Vol. 171, Issue 6 · 2026
Abstract
Metatranscriptomic analysis of Wyeomyia confusa mosquitoes collected in the Atlantic Forest (Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, Brazil) led to the identification of a previously uncharacterized virus, designated Wyeomyia confusa Lispivirus (WcLispV-SP), classified within the family Lispiviridae , genus Canmovirus . The viral genome consists of a negative-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA−) of 12,698 nucleotides, encoding six open reading frames (ORFs): nucleoprotein (N), two hypothetical proteins (HP/1 and HP/2), glycoprotein (G), ORFan protein, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp-L). Phylogenetic analysis supports the classification of WcLispV-SP as a distinct species within the genus Canmovirus . Structural analysis of the RdRp revealed conserved domains and catalytic motifs characteristic of members of the order Mononegavirales , supporting its functional integrity. These findings expand the known diversity of the Lispiviridae family and highlight the utility of metagenomic approaches for the discovery and characterization of RNA viruses associated with Neotropical sylvatic mosquitoes.