Molecular Characterization of Previous Unclassified Dicistroviruses in Water Reservoir in São Paulo, Brazil

In this study, viral metagenomics was applied to identify viruses related to the Dicistroviridae family in freshwater samples collected from urban reservoirs of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Through next-generation sequencing, five complete RNA genomes similar to Dicistroviridae were detected. These genomes range from 8.032 to 9.425 nucleotides in length, and each contains two open reading frames (ORFs) with conserved protein domains and internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) characteristic of Dicistroviridae. Phylogenetic and genetic identity analyses based on the amino acid sequences of the nonstructural (ORF1) and structural (ORF2) polyproteins suggest that these five genomes represent four putative novel species provisionally named Hydro virus 1 to Hydro virus 4. These findings enhance our understanding of the diversity and distribution of Dicistroviridae in aquatic environments.