Dr. Tyler A. Elliott (@transposableman.bsky.social)

Discovery of a novel double-stranded DNA virus associated with ant labial gland disease reveals its long-term interaction with ants | Journal of Virology Ants, as highly eusocial insects, play vital roles in ecosystems worldwide. While numerous RNA viruses have been documented in ants, no double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) virus has previously been confirmed to infect them. Labial gland disease, reported for decades, lacks a clearly defined cause until now. Here, we identify and characterize a large filamentous dsDNA virus, Camponotus japonicus labial gland disease virus (CjLGDV), from the swollen labial gland of C. japonicus, and a closely related Anoplolepis gracilipes labial gland disease virus in A. gracilipes. Phylogenetic and genomic analyses of the two viruses support the establishment of a new viral family within the order Lefavirales, class Naldaviricetes. The discovery of endogenous viral elements related to CjLGDV in multiple ant genomes suggests the historical infection of CjLGDV-like viruses in ants. These findings broaden the known host range of naldaviricetes and shed new light on the diversity, evolution, and host interaction of large dsDNA viruses in arthropods. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jvi.01178-25