Non-invasive surveys of mammalian viruses using environmental DNA

O_LIEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) and invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) have been used to survey biodiversity non-invasively to mitigate difficulties of obtaining wildlife samples, particularly in remote areas or for rare species. Recently, eDNA/iDNA have been applied to monitor known wildlife pathogens, however, most wildlife pathogens are unknown and often evolutionarily divergent. C_LIO_LITo detect and identify known and novel mammalian viruses from eDNA/iDNA sources, we used a curated set of RNA oligonucleotides as viral baits in a hybridization capture system coupled with high throughput sequencing. C_LIO_LIWe detected multiple known and novel mammalian RNA and DNA viruses from multiple viral families from both waterhole eDNA and leech derived iDNA. Congruence was found between detected hosts and viruses identified in leeches and waterholes. C_LIO_LIOur results demonstrate that eDNA/iDNA samples represent an effective non-invasive resource for studying wildlife viral diversity and for detecting novel potentially zoonotic viruses prior to their emergence. C_LI