Characterization of vertically and cross-species transmitted viruses in the cestode parasite Schistocephalus solidus

Abstract

Parasitic flatworms (Neodermata) represent a public health and economic burden due to associated debilitating diseases and limited therapeutic treatments available. Despite their importance, there is scarce information regarding flatworm-associated microbes. We report the discovery of six RNA viruses in the cestode Schistocephalus solidus. None were closely related to classified viruses and they represent new taxa. Mining transcriptomic data revealed the broad distribution of these viruses in Alaskan and European S. solidus populations. We demonstrate through in vitro culture of S. solidus that five of these viruses are vertically transmitted. With experimental infections and field-sampling, we show that one of the viruses is transmitted to parasitized hosts. The impact of these viruses in parasite fitness and pathogenicity, and in host-parasite co-evolutionary dynamics remains to be determined. The detection of six novel viruses in this first characterization of viruses in Neodermatans likely represents a fraction of virus diversity in parasitic flatworms.