RNA viruses represent an integral component of human-associated environments and human health. However, the ecology of environmental RNA viruses remains largely unexplored. Here, we analyzed 2922 metatranscriptomic samples collected from urban and surrounding environments-including human-dense settings (e.g., transit hubs, hospitals, banks), alongside peri-urban settings - across 102 cities in 31 countries and constructed the Urban & Peri-urban RNA Virus Atlas (UPVAtlas), comprising 54,945 RNA viruses, 77% of which had not been previously observed. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on RNA-dependent RNA polymerases from UPVAtlas greatly expanded the evolutionary diversity of RNA viruses, leading to the identification of two potential candidate phyla, one candidate class, and several unclassified clades. Host association analyses further revealed the ecological complexity of environmental RNA viruses, with the diversity of vertebrate-related and ESKAPE pathogen-related viruses underscoring the importance of continued monitoring of urban environments for tracking RNA viral prevalence and dynamics, with direct relevance to future public health.
- Diversity and distinctive characteristics of the global RNA virome in urban and peri-urban environments
- Serghei Mangul - Ştefan cel Mare University of SuceavaAlexander J Probst - University of Duisburg-EssenKubra Can Kurt - Weill Cornell MedicineXavier Rodó - Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis AvançatsMasayuki Ushio - Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyThirumalaisamy P Velavan - Universitätsklinikum TübingenNatalia Mazur-Panasiuk - Jagiellonian UniversityAnastasia Chasapi - Centre for Research and Technology HellasKatarzyna Kopera - Jagiellonian UniversityChristos A Ouzounis - Aristotle University of ThessalonikiKamila Marszałek - Jagiellonian UniversityManuela Oliveira - IPO PortoMichał Kowalski - Jagiellonian UniversityEmmanuel Dias-Neto - Rutgers Cancer InstituteRodolfo Brizola Toscan - Jagiellonian UniversityOlayinka Osuolale - Elizade UniversityWojciech Branicki - Jagiellonian UniversityMichael Poulsen - University of CopenhagenKrzysztof Pyrć - Jagiellonian UniversityDmitry Meleshko - Weill Cornell MedicinePaweł P Łabaj - Jagiellonian UniversityMalay Bhattacharyya - Indian Statistical InstituteBalakrishnan Subramanian - University of BiałystokKathleen H Rubins - University of PittsburghAlina Frolova - Kyiv Academic UniversityMaria A Sierra - Weill Cornell MedicineJoshua G Burkhart - University of Hawaii SystemYouping Deng - University of Hawaii SystemZihao Gao - East China Normal UniversityKlas I Udekwu - University of Idaho, Biological SciencesJuan A Ugalde - Universidad Andrés BelloLynn M Schriml - University of Maryland, BaltimoreJun Wu - East China Normal UniversityNur Hazlin Hazrin-Chong - National University of MalaysiaAlba Tull - Carnegie Mellon UniversityHaruo Suzuki - Keio University Shonan FujisawaAlexander G Lucaci - Weill Cornell MedicinePatrick K H Lee - City University of Hong KongBraden T TierneyAntonio Pedro Camargo - Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryJian Ouyang - East China Normal UniversityNikos C Kyrpides - Joint Genome InstituteDi Liu - Wuhan Institute of VirologyLin-Fa Wang - Duke-NUS Medical SchoolChristopher E Mason - Cornell UniversityBharath Prithiviraj - Reckitt Benckiser (United States)Tieliu Shi - East China Normal UniversityLan Wang - Tongji UniversityInternational MetaSUB ConsortiumNitesh Kumar Sharma - University of Southern CaliforniaKrista A Ryon - Weill Cornell MedicineViorel Munteanu - Technical University of MoldovaEran Elhaik - Lund University
- Nature communications, Vol.17(1), pp.1-23
- nature
- 23
- 32370720 / National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)
- 996982639901851
- Copyright © 2026, The Author(s)
- Biological Sciences
- English
- Journal article