Viruses occupy a central place in ecology and health, influencing the dynamics of terrestrial, aquatic, and managed ecosystems. Recent research highlights the complex interplay between viruses and their hosts—including animals, plants, fungi, and microbes—and demonstrates how viral communities, or viromes, shape resilience, disease expression, and evolutionary trajectories across species. Especially within forest and environmental systems, mycoviruses and other RNA viruses impact not only their immediate hosts but also broader ecosystem processes, often mediated through mechanisms such as RNA interference and small RNAs. Despite advances in molecular virology and high-throughput sequencing, research remains fragmented across environmental, animal, plant, and human health domains. This gap limits our holistic understanding of viral emergence, cross-kingdom transmission, and the eco-epidemiology of spillover events, particularly as pathogens move between environmental reservoirs and susceptible hosts, including humans. The need for integrative approaches has become increasingly urgent in the face of recent zoonotic outbreaks, ongoing debates on the drivers of viral spillover, and recognition of the complex networks underpinning disease emergence.

This Research Topic aims to combine ecological, molecular, and clinical insights to address the challenges of viral emergence, transmission, and interaction across biological realms within the One Health paradigm. It intends to foster interdisciplinary research that elucidates the mechanisms underpinning cross-kingdom communication, RNA-based regulation, and the influence of environmental viral reservoirs on disease outcomes in plants, animals, and humans. Through the integration of field research, experimental models, genomics, and translational studies, this Topic seeks to answer key questions regarding how viral diversity and interactions affect host health, adaptation, and resilience, and how these findings can inform surveillance and prevention strategies to mitigate emerging viral threats.

The scope of this Research Topic is broad yet focused on studies that address viral dynamics and impacts across interconnected systems within the One Health framework. Submissions should contribute to the understanding of viruses in environmental, animal, plant, microbial, and human contexts, with an emphasis on integrative and interdisciplinary approaches. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

o Ecological and forest virology

o Characterization and dynamics of viromes and mycoviruses

o RNA-based regulation, RNA interference, and viral evolution

o Cross-kingdom and cross-species viral transmission

o Environmental reservoirs and spillover dynamics

o Interactions between viruses and host health or ecosystem resilience

o Translational, clinical, and epidemiological research on human viruses

o Methodological advances in metagenomics, bioinformatics, or surveillance systems

o Interdisciplinary models combining field, laboratory, and clinical data

We welcome original research, reviews, perspectives, and short communications that employ molecular, ecological, computational, or experimental methods, as well as studies that bridge field, laboratory, and clinical efforts to advance the One Health understanding of viral threats.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Bridging viral ecology and human health in the One Health era