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. 2025 Jul 1;49(4):242.
doi: 10.1007/s11259-025-10799-5.

Novel paramyxovirus in wild pinnipeds, Brazil

Samira Costa-Silva  1   2 , Ana Carolina Ewbank  3 , Aricia Duarte-Benvenuto  4 , Carlos Sacristán  5 , Rodrigo M Soares  6 , Angélica M Sánchez-Sarmiento  7 , Natália Silvestre-Perez  6 , Pedro Volkmer Castilho  8 , Cristiane K M Kolesnikovas  9 , Caroline Freitas Pessi  4   10 , Rafael Sardinha Murro  10 , Carla B Barbosa  7 , Raquel B Ferioli  7 , José L Catão-Dias  4 , Lara B Keid  6
Affiliations

Novel paramyxovirus in wild pinnipeds, Brazil

Samira Costa-Silva et al. Vet Res Commun. .

Abstract

Most emerging zoonotic viral infections originate in wildlife. The Paramyxoviridae and Coronaviridae families are important in terms of zoonotic potential and diversity of host susceptibility. To date, the only paramyxoviruses described in pinnipeds are within the genus Morbillivirus. An alphacoronavirus has been reported in pinnipeds. Herein, we surveyed for Paramyxoviridae and Coronaviridae in 46 animals of four pinniped species stranded along the coasts of Santa Catarina and São Paulo states, Brazil, between 2016 and 2022. A novel paramyxovirus (family Paramyxoviridae) was detected in an Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) and in two South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis). The sequences presented with less than 83% amino acid identity to the closest published paramyxovirus sequences, amplified in Microchiroptera sp. in Vietnam and in Asiatic yellow bats (Scotophilus kuhlii) in Cambodia. Phylogenetic analysis of the paramyxovirus sequences clustered into the genus Jeilongvirus. Gross and histopathological analyses did not identify any related lesions and the viral zoonotic potential is unknown. None of the animals were PCR-positive to coronavirus. To our knowledge, this is the first report of paramyxovirus infection in pinnipeds in Brazil and the first paramyxovirus not classified as Morbillivirus in seals, sea lions and walruses. To better understand the natural history of this novel virus, future pathological, serological, and molecular studies based on pan-Paramyxoviridae RT-PCRs are recommended.

Keywords: Jeilongvirus; Paramyxoviridae; Coronavirus; Emerging virus; Fur seal; Marine mammals.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval: All procedures were performed in full compliance with and approved by the Biodiversity Information and Authorization System (SISBIO 69115), the Ethics Committee in the Use of Animals of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of São Paulo (Ceuavet n° 6819150419), and by the National System for the Management of Genetic Heritage and Associated Traditional Knowledge (SISGEN ADA22DD). No experiments were performed on live animals.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Consensus maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree based on Le Gascuel model with inversions, gamma distribution and invariant sites of the alignment of (1) the amino acid paramyxovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase sequences retrieved in two South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis, ID 112/23; ID 118/23) and an Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella, ID 156/21) (green dots); and (2) representative paramyxovirus sequences of viral species of the same gene recognized by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. The bootstrap consensus tree inferred from 1000 replicates represents the evolutionary history of the analyzed taxa. ProtTest test was used to select the evolutionary model for the phylogram. Bootstrap values < 70 were omitted
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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