A global dataset of sequence, diversity and biosafety recommendation of arbovirus and arthropod-specific virus

Abstract

Arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) and arthropod-specific virus (ASV) are viruses circulating amongst hematophagous arthropods that are broadly transmitted in ecological systems. Arbovirus may replicate in both vertebrates and invertebrates and some are known to be pathogenic to animals or humans. ASV only replicate in invertebrate arthropods yet they are basal to many types of arboviruses. We built a comprehensive dataset of arbovirus and ASV by curating globally available data from the Arbovirus Catalog, the arbovirus list in Section VIII-F of the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories 6th edition, Virus Metadata Resource of International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, and GenBank. Revealing the diversity, distribution and biosafety recommendation of arbovirus and ASV at a global scale is essential to the understanding of potential interactions, evolution, and risks associated with these viruses. Moreover, the genomic sequences associated with the dataset will enable the investigation of genetic patterns distinguishing the two groups, as well as aid in predicting the vector/host relationships of the newly discovered viruses.