RNA virus genomes from centuries- to millennia-old Adelie penguin mummies

Abstract

Direct studies of long-term RNA virus evolution are largely limited to chemically-fixed specimens from museums collected over the past two centuries. Detecting genomic traces of RNA viruses in older, buried remains is considered highly unlikely. The cold, dry conditions of Antarctica may represent an exception. Here, natural mummification of penguins and seals--animals that form large colonies where RNA viruses circulate--is common, potentially facilitating RNA virus genome recovery. Here, we show that Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) mummies, ranging in age from recent to nearly two millennia, indeed contain ancient viral genome fragments. Metatranscriptomic analyses yielded near-complete genome sequences of a picornavirus (Megrivirus epengu) and a rotavirus D (Rotavirus deltagastroenteritidis) from relatively recent specimens. We further retrieved rotavirus D sequences from a 280-year-old individual and a near-complete rotavirus G (Rotavirus gammagastroenteritidis) genome from a 2000-year-old one. These findings pave the way to direct studies of RNA virus evolution across millennia.