TY - JOUR

T1 - Comparative analysis of fecal DNA viromes in Large-billed crows and Northern ravens reveals diverse viral profiles

AU - Dong, Yonggang

AU - Fan, Sitong

AU - He, Shunfu

AU - Zhao, Wenxin

AU - Lancuo, Zhuoma

AU - Sharshov, Kirill

AU - Li, Ying

AU - Wang, Wen

N1 - This research was funded by the Program of Science and Technology International Cooperation Project of Qinghai Province (grant No. 2022-HZ-812), the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Russian Foundation for Basic Research Cooperative Exchange Project (grant No. 32111530018). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Dong Y, Fan S, He S, Zhao W, Lancuo Z, Sharshov K, Li Y, Wang W. 2025. Comparative analysis of fecal DNA viromes in Large-billed crows and Northern ravens reveals diverse viral profiles. PeerJ 13:e20170 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20170

PY - 2025/10/15

Y1 - 2025/10/15

N2 - As facultative scavenger birds, crows carry various parasites, viruses, and bacteria, making them significant infection hosts and transmission vectors. In this study, we employed viral metagenomics to enrich viral particles from three fecal samples of the Northern ravens (Corvus corax) and four fecal samples of the Large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos). Viral DNA was then extracted, and seven sequencing libraries were constructed. The composition and characteristics of the DNA viromes in the feces of these two facultative scavenging bird species were analyzed using the Illumina NovaSeq platform (PE150 mode). The results showed that the fecal DNA viruses carried by Northern ravens mainly belonged to Parvoviridae (31.49%), Caudoviricetes_Unclassified (21.91%), Microviridae (21.57%), and Genomoviridae (18.2%), while those carried by Large-billed crows were predominantly Genomoviridae (29.7%), Parvoviridae (26.15%), and Caudoviricetes_Unclassified (22.15%). Diversity analysis using Richness, Shannon, and Simpson indices showed no significant differences in viral composition between the two crow species. Additionally, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) (F = 1.079, P = 0.155) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) (F = 1.079, P = 0.154) analyses demonstrated no distinct separation between the two groups. Moreover, the KEGG-enriched pathways in both crow species were primarily associated with metabolic and genetic information processing functions. The selection of the Large-billed crows and Northern ravens in this study was based on their widespread distribution, close association with human settlements, and distinctive scavenging behavior. Comparative analysis of the diversity and composition of their DNA viral communities offers a basis for evaluating the zoonotic risks associated with these scavenger birds.

AB - As facultative scavenger birds, crows carry various parasites, viruses, and bacteria, making them significant infection hosts and transmission vectors. In this study, we employed viral metagenomics to enrich viral particles from three fecal samples of the Northern ravens (Corvus corax) and four fecal samples of the Large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos). Viral DNA was then extracted, and seven sequencing libraries were constructed. The composition and characteristics of the DNA viromes in the feces of these two facultative scavenging bird species were analyzed using the Illumina NovaSeq platform (PE150 mode). The results showed that the fecal DNA viruses carried by Northern ravens mainly belonged to Parvoviridae (31.49%), Caudoviricetes_Unclassified (21.91%), Microviridae (21.57%), and Genomoviridae (18.2%), while those carried by Large-billed crows were predominantly Genomoviridae (29.7%), Parvoviridae (26.15%), and Caudoviricetes_Unclassified (22.15%). Diversity analysis using Richness, Shannon, and Simpson indices showed no significant differences in viral composition between the two crow species. Additionally, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) (F = 1.079, P = 0.155) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) (F = 1.079, P = 0.154) analyses demonstrated no distinct separation between the two groups. Moreover, the KEGG-enriched pathways in both crow species were primarily associated with metabolic and genetic information processing functions. The selection of the Large-billed crows and Northern ravens in this study was based on their widespread distribution, close association with human settlements, and distinctive scavenging behavior. Comparative analysis of the diversity and composition of their DNA viral communities offers a basis for evaluating the zoonotic risks associated with these scavenger birds.

KW - Animals

KW - Crows/virology

KW - Feces/virology

KW - Virome/genetics

KW - DNA, Viral/genetics

KW - DNA Viruses/genetics

KW - Metagenomics

U2 - 10.7717/peerj.20170

DO - 10.7717/peerj.20170

M3 - Article

C2 - 41112778

VL - 13

JO - PeerJ

JF - PeerJ

SN - 2167-8359

M1 - e20170

ER -