Virome of Giant Panda-Infesting Ticks Reveals Novel Bunyaviruses and Other Viruses That Are Genetically Close to Those from Giant Pandas

Ticks rank only second to mosquitoes as blood-feeding arthropods, capable of spreading pathogens (including viruses, bacteria, and parasites) to hosts during a blood meal. To better understand the relationship between viruses carried by ticks and viruses that have been reported in giant pandas, it is necessary to analyze the viromes of giant panda-parasitic blood-sucking ticks.