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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.

Sec. Virology

Metagenomic exploration of the virome of Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks from Chachoengsao, Thailand

Provisionally accepted
Paola Mariela Saba VillarroelPaola Mariela Saba Villarroel1,2Geraldine PiorkowskiGeraldine Piorkowski3Sedthapong LaojunSedthapong Laojun4Florian LiégeoisFlorian Liégeois5Nuttamonpat GumpangsetNuttamonpat Gumpangset1,2Dorothée MisséDorothée Missé6Tanawat ChaiphongpacharaTanawat Chaiphongpachara4Sineewanlaya WichitSineewanlaya Wichit1,2*
  • 1Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
  • 2Viral Vector Joint unit and Joint Laboratory, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
  • 3Unité des Virus Émergents (UVE: Aix Marseille Univ, IRD 190, INSERM 1207), Marseille, France
  • 4Department of Public Health and Health Promotion, College of Allied Health Sciences, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Samut Songkhram, Thailand
  • 5MIVEGEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, Montpellier, France
  • 6MIVEGEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France

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Ticks are obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites that harbor a wide a diversity of microorganisms. Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick, is globally distributed and poses significant veterinary and public health concerns due to its close association with companion animals and its occasional infestation of humans. However, the virome of this species in Thailand remains poorly characterized. In this study, we employed DNA Nanoball sequencing to investigate the virome of 80 R. sanguineus ticks, grouped into five pools, collected from dogs in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand, in 2023. Three viruses were identified:, Brown dog tick phlebovirus 2 (BDTPV2), Changping tick virus 2 (CpTV-2), and Bole tick virus 4 (BLTV4), all detected in male ticks. These results highlight the need for further investigation into the ecological roles and biological significance of these viruses. Overall, our findings provide an updated perspective on the R. sanguineus virome in Thailand and underscore the importance of continued surveillance of tick-associated viruses within the One Health framework.

Keywords: Bole tick virus 4, Brown dog tick phlebovirus 2, Changping tick virus 2, Metagenomics, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Thailand, Viruses

Received: 30 Oct 2025; Accepted: 03 Dec 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Saba Villarroel, Piorkowski, Laojun, Liégeois, Gumpangset, Missé, Chaiphongpachara and Wichit. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Sineewanlaya Wichit

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Supplementary Material