Our study expands both the known diversity of RNA viruses in trypanosomatids and the range of trypanosomatid genera that host these viruses, providing guidance for future screening. We suggest that vector ecology-particularly feeding behavior-may influence viral acquisition by trypanosomes, explaining the previous absence of viral reports from intensively studied trypanosomes of medical relevance vectored by tsetse flies or kissing bugs. Therefore, overlooked species transmitted by Nematocera represent promising candidates for future viral discovery. This concept extends beyond trypanosomatids, providing a general framework for understanding the conditions that permit viral host switching by viruses among microeukaryotes.
Kostygov et al. (Fri,) studied this question.