Evolutionary history of Jamestown Canyon virus disentangles complex multi-vector ecology.
| Title: | Evolutionary history of Jamestown Canyon virus disentangles complex multi-vector ecology. |
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| Authors: | Bourgikos E; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Dellicour S; Spatial Epidemiology Lab (SpELL), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.; Lemey P; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.; Feriancek NM; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Bransfield AB; Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.; Breban MI; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Misencik MJ; Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.; Petruff TA; Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.; Shepard JJ; Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.; Andreadis TG; Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.; Anderson JF; Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.; Ngo KA; The Arbovirus Laboratory, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Slingerlands, NY, USA.; Maffei JG; The Arbovirus Laboratory, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Slingerlands, NY, USA.; Dupuis AP; The Arbovirus Laboratory, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Slingerlands, NY, USA.; Rich SM; New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.; Department of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.; Xu G; New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.; Department of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.; Sakolsky G; Cape Cod Mosquito Control, Yarmouthport, MA, USA.; Price KJ; Division of Vector Management, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Harrisburg, PA, USA.; Metzger ML; Division of Vector Management, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Harrisburg, PA, USA.; Suchard MA; Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.; Department of Biomathematics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.; Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.; Lopes R; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Gámbaro F; Spatial Epidemiology Lab (SpELL), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.; Carlson CJ; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Baele G; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.; Ciota AT; The Arbovirus Laboratory, New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Slingerlands, NY, USA.; Department of Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Albany School of Public Health, Albany, NY, USA.; Vogels CBF; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Hill V; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.; Armstrong PM; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.; Grubaugh ND; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. |
| Source: | BioRxiv : the preprint server for biology [bioRxiv] 2026 Jan 10. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jan 10. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article; Preprint |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101680187 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2692-8205 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 26928205 NLM ISO Abbreviation: bioRxiv Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Abstract: | Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) is a re-emerging mosquito-borne virus of increasing concern in North America. It has been historically understudied, leading to significant gaps in our understanding of its evolutionary history, ecological maintenance, and transmission dynamics. Here, we generated 658 whole-genome JCV sequences from the Northeast United States, including 84% (500/597) of all JCV-positive mosquitoes detected in Connecticut from 1997-2022. Then we applied phylodynamic methods to demonstrate how mosquito phenology and host interaction structure the persistence and spread of JCV. Our phylogenetic analyses estimate that JCV was introduced in the Northeast by at least the early 1700s and the primary introductions of lineages A and B into Connecticut occurred during the mid-1800s to mid-1900s. Further, we estimate that JCV evolves at a rate of ~3 × 10-5 s/s/y, making it one of the slowest evolving known RNA viruses, because the virus spends ~10 months per year in evolutionary stasis while over-wintering in mosquito eggs. To investigate ecological drivers of JCV spread in Connecticut, we paired discrete trait and continuous phylogeographic reconstructions with mosquito surveillance data. We estimate that JCV has a low diffusion rate of ~30-60 km2/year, which is more similar to slow-moving tick-borne viruses than other mosquito-borne viruses. We found that univoltine Aedes mosquitoes were likely to maintain the virus across years through overwintering in eggs, accounting for its slow evolution and dispersal, while multivoltine mosquitoes contribute to periodic bursts of spatial diffusion and amplification within seasons. By characterizing seasonal dynamics of JCV, we demonstrate the utility of dense sequencing and phylodynamics to disentangle complex transmission cycles, offering a framework to rapidly advance our evolutionary and ecological knowledge of understudied viruses. |
| Competing Interests: | Competing Interests The others have no conflicts of interest to declare. |
| Comments: | Update in: Curr Biol. 2026 May 4;36(9):2343-2356.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2026.03.076.. (PMID: 42025175) |
| Grant Information: | DP2 AI176740 United States AI NIAID NIH HHS; S10 OD030363 United States OD NIH HHS |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260116 Date Completed: 20260428 Latest Revision: 20260505 |
| Update Code: | 20260506 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12803272 |
| DOI: | 10.64898/2026.01.09.698726 |
| PMID: | 41542553 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article; Preprint