Evaluation of a Probe-based Enrichment Protocol for Nanopore Sequencing of Zoonotic Viruses

This study presents an optimized targeted enrichment approach using a customized VirCapSeq-VERT system adapted for Oxford Nanopore sequencing. The method enhances detection of zoonotic viruses in low-titer field samples by reducing background genomic material and improving viral read recovery. Validation on mock viromes, animal study samples, and field samples demonstrated increased sensitivity, read length, and genome coverage. A lightweight bioinformatics pipeline, <b>Nanite</b>, was also developed to streamline analysis. Overall, the approach improves the utility of Nanopore sequencing for field-based pathogen surveillance.<br>