Unveiling the RNA Viral Diversity in Three Organs of the Asian House Shrew (Suncus murinus) from Tropical Hainan, China: A Previously Underappreciated Key Zoonotic Reservoir

Haoyue Huangfu¹Ji Pu²Mengqi Jiao²Hao Zhou²Qianjin Fan²Huiwe Deng²Qian Ling²Xuelian Luo^2*Jianguo Xu^1,2*

• ¹Nankai University, Tianjin, China
• ²Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

Shrews represent an important reservoir of diverse human-pathogen viruses with implications for human infectious diseases. As the most populous shrew species, the Asian house shrew—Suncus murinus (Su. murinus) is widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia—particularly tropical and subtropical regions—yet its virome remains poorly studied. In this study, we collected 249 Su. murinus from 18 cities/counties (excluding Sansha) across Hainan Island and conducted RNA sequencing on gut, spleen, and lung tissues. We identified 192 RNA viruses, comprising 120 known viral species and 72 novel viruses, including key zoonotic viral families: Arenaviridae, Hantaviridae, Paramyxoviridae etc. We assembled 102 complete and nearly complete genomes. Notably, 64 known viruses exhibited cross-species transmission potential, including 57 with spillover risk and 7 human-pathogenic viruses: Mammarenavirus choriomeningitidis (LCMV), Henipavirus (HeV), Wenzhou virus (WENV), Langat virus (LGTV), Amur virus (AMRV), Influenza A virus (H1N1), and Rotavirus A (RVA). Additionally, AMRV, LGTV, and LCMV were reported here for the first time in Su. murinus based on metagenomic detection. Our phylogenetic and RT‒PCR results indicate Su. murinus is a candidate reservoir for Langya-like henipavirus. Collectively, our study reveals tropical populations of Su. murinus are a previously underappreciated reservoir of viral diversity, underscoring their key role in zoonotic emergence and necessitating surveillance in tropical regions.