High diversity and potential translocation of DNA viruses in ballast water

摘要

Ballast water is a common vector for the transport of invasive species to new marine and aquatic environments. We used a metagenomics approach to examine the composition and diversity of viral communities in ballast water from ships originating in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, New York, and Panama, and in water from the port of their destination in Busan, Korea. Myoviridae was the most abundant virus family in ballast water, followed Podoviridae and Siphoviridae. We also identified viruses that infect invertebrates, amoebas, and algae in ballast water and in the Busan port water. Interestingly, there were several viruses that infect humans or other animals (Swinepox virus,Raccoonpox virus,Suid herpesvirus, andHuman endogenous retrovirus) in the samples from New York and Panama. In addition, there were giant viruses in all the ballast water samples, especially, identifiedMegavirus chilensisin New York and Panama, andPandoravirus salinusin Mexico and Saudi Arabia. These results provide detailed descriptions of the characteristics of the viruses present in ballast water, document significant viral diversity, and indicate the potential translocation of virusesviaballast water.