The discovery of segmented flaviviruses: implications for viral emergence

In the last five years, several novel segmented RNA viruses have been discovered in ticks, mosquitoes, or other arthropods, and two viruses, including Jingmen tick virus and Alongshan virus, are associated with human febrile illness in northeastern China. The viral genome includes four or five segments, two of which are genetically derived from unsegmented flaviviruses. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that segmented flaviviruses belong to a separate Jingmenvirus group distinctive from the genera of Flavivirus, Hepacivirus, Pestivirus, and Pegivirus in the Flaviviridae family. Tick-borne segmented flaviviruses are closely related to mammalian isolates from humans, monkeys and voles, showing their important significance of public health. Future studies should be focused on disease surveillance, epidemiology, animal infection model and reverse genetics of these emerging segmented flaviviruses.