A newly established capture-based next generation sequencing approach for phleboviruses

Sandfly-borne phleboviruses cause febrile illness and neuroinvasive disease in humans. Knowledge of the genetic diversity of circulating pathogens is crucial for providing appropiate diagnostics and disease management. This study established a novel capture-based target enrichment next-generation sequencing approach for phleboviruses that enabled the near-complete viral genome recovery from primary samples while native NGS yielded negative or poor-quality results. In addition to five recently discovered sandfly-borne phlebovirues in Kenya, two previously unknown phleboviruses were detected in sandflies from Kenya. The study significantly advances the understanding of sandfly-borne phleboviruses by uncovering their broader geographic distribution and genetic diversity, particularly in East Africa, highlighting the importance of expanding surveillance efforts beyond traditionally studied regions.