Novel member of the Tombusviridae family identified in an urban pigeon by a metagenomic approach

The discovery of novel viruses has been drastically enhanced in the last decade by culture-free viral metagenomics and next-generation sequencing techniques. Tombusviruses are generally considered plant viruses. In this study, a member of the Tombusviridae family was identified in the liver from a non-domesticated urban pigeon (Columba livia) in a household of a Brazilian city. Pigeons are currently considered urban pests and a health burden due to the diverse pathogens they carry, the possible impact on humans and domestic animals should be further studied.