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. 2023 Aug 31;18(8):e0291027.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291027. eCollection 2023.

Detailed characterization of Redondovirus in saliva of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Antonio Charlys da Costa  1 , Maria C Mendes-Correa  1   2 , Tania Regina Tozetto-Mendoza  1   3 , Lucy S Villas-Boas  1   3 , Anderson Vicente de Paula  1 , Heuder Gustavo Oliveira Paiao  1   2 , Fabio E Leal  3   4 , Noely E Ferreira  1 , Layla Honorato  1   2 , Elcio Leal  5 , Giuliano Grandi  6 , Vanessa Dos Santos Morais  2 , Erika R Manuli  2   3 , Ester C Sabino  1   2   3 , Steven S Witkin  1   2   7
Affiliations

Detailed characterization of Redondovirus in saliva of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Antonio Charlys da Costa et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Redondovirus (ReDoV) is a DNA virus present in the respiratory tract of many healthy individuals. Since SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, also primarily infects the same site, we evaluated whether ReDoV was present at increased frequency in patients with COVID-19 and influenced infection parameters.

Methods: Saliva samples were collected weekly from 59 individuals with COVID-19 and from 132 controls. ReDoV was detected by polymerase chain reaction and the genotypes were identified by metagenomics. Torque Teno Virus (TTV) in these samples were previously reported.

Results: ReDoV was detected in saliva more frequently from COVID-19 patients (72.9%) than from controls (50.0%) (p = 0.0015). There were no associations between ReDoV detection and either continuous or intermittent SARS-CoV-2 shedding, the duration of SARS-CoV-2 detection in saliva, patients' sex or if infection was by the B1 or Gamma strain. The two ReDoV strains, Brisavirus and Vientovirus, were present in equivalent frequencies in ReDoV-positive COVID-19 patients and controls. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the two ReDoV strains in Brazil were similar to strains previously detected on other continents.

Conclusion: ReDoV expression in saliva is increased in males and females in Brazil with mild COVID-19 but its presence does not appear to influence properties of the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Phylogenetic tree of redondoviruses.
The tree was constructed based on full-length genomes, utilizing the maximum likelihood approach. The evolutionary model employed for the analysis was the GTR model with gamma correction. Branches in the tree were color-coded according to the bootstrap support, as indicated on the scale. Sequences associated with Vientovirus are highlighted in blue, while sequences associated with Brisavirus are highlighted in magenta. Sequences generated in this study were highlighted in green. Horizontal bar indicates the scale of the tree in nucleotide substitutions per site.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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