Mapping the global distribution and spread of the Plasmodium vivax-associated virus MaRNAV-1
Issued Date
2026-01-01
Resource Type
eISSN
20571577
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105042131230
Journal Title
Virus Evolution
Volume
12
Issue
1
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Virus Evolution Vol.12 No.1 (2026)
Suggested Citation
Petrone M.E., Charon J., Parry R.H., Grigg M.J., Piera K.A., Westaway J.A.F., Shioda K., Russell B., Price R.N., William T., Kenangalem E., McCarthy J.S., Barber B.E., Holmes E.C., Anstey N.M. Mapping the global distribution and spread of the Plasmodium vivax-associated virus MaRNAV-1. Virus Evolution Vol.12 No.1 (2026). doi:10.1093/ve/veag031 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/117495
Title
Mapping the global distribution and spread of the Plasmodium vivax-associated virus MaRNAV-1
Author's Affiliation
The University of Sydney
The University of Queensland
Boston University
Université de Bordeaux
University of Otago
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
School of Public Health
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Menzies School of Health Research
Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit
Department of Infectious Diseases
Subang Jaya Medical Centre
Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit
Mimika District Health Office
The University of Queensland
Boston University
Université de Bordeaux
University of Otago
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
School of Public Health
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Menzies School of Health Research
Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit
Department of Infectious Diseases
Subang Jaya Medical Centre
Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit
Mimika District Health Office
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Matryoshka RNA virus 1 (MaRNAV-1) is a bi-segmented and single-stranded RNA virus associated with Plasmodium vivax, a cause of human malaria. Little has been uncovered about the epidemiology and ecology of this virus since its discovery in 2019. To address this, we used a combination of primary and publicly available metatranscriptomic data to map the geographic distribution and host associations of MaRNAV-1. We detected this virus throughout Southeast Asia, in parts of South America, and, for the first time, in Oceania. Despite its broad distribution, MaRNAV-1 was found exclusively in metatranscriptomes containing P. vivax, suggesting that there is a specific virus-host relationship that has shaped the evolutionary history of this virus. We were unable to estimate the emergence date of the MaRNAV-1 lineage; however, phylogeographic mapping analysis suggested that MaRNAV-1 is widely dispersed throughout Southeast Asia. Our findings have both evolutionary and public health implications and can serve as the basis for future investigations in these fields.