Squirrel reservoirs of monkeypox virus are sister species separated by the Sanaga River (Cameroon), as are the two main viral clades
Monkeypox is an emerging infectious disease of unclear zoonotic origin in Africa although increasing evidence suggests that rope squirrels are reservoirs of the monkeypox virus (MPXV). Here, we describe new data on the systematics of rope squirrels (Sciuridae, <i>Funisciurus</i>). Our molecular phylogeny strongly supports the polyphyly of <i>Funisciurus pyrropus</i>, with a Central African clade sister to <i>Funisciurus leucogenys</i> and a West African clade sister to <i>Funisciurus anerythrus</i>. Museum specimens show that the two clades have distinct pelage patterns. We propose therefore to resurrect the name <i>Funisciurus leucostigma</i> for the West African clade. Using reliable taxonomic identifications of georeferenced squirrels, we inferred the ecological niches of the three species of interest. The Sanaga River in Cameroon appears to be the barrier separating both the sister species <i>F. anerythrus</i> and <i>F. leucostigma</i> as well as the sister MPXV clades I and II. This suggests that these two MPXV clades were isolated in Central and West Africa, respectively, due to allopatric squirrel speciation.
Authors
- Manon Curaudeau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3356-0701)
- Julian Kerbis Peterhans
- Alexandre Hassanin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4905-8540)
- Laurent Granjon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1182-3793)
- Antoine Gessain
- Emmanuel Gilissen
- Thomas Le Flanchec
- Lison Barale
Institutions
- Roosevelt University (US)
- Royal Museum for Central Africa (BE)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (FR)
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE)
- Institut Pasteur (FR)
- École Pratique des Hautes Études (FR)
- Université de Montpellier (FR)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Cornell University (US)
- Agropolis International (FR)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- New York State College of Agriculture & Life Sciences (US)
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (FR)
- Institut Agro Montpelier (FR)
- Virologie et Pathologies Humaines (FR)
- Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations (FR)
- Services déconcentrés d'appui à la recherche Occitanie-Montpellier (FR)
- National Museums of Kenya (KE)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- One Health
- Published
- 2025-07-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2025.101157
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Poxvirus research and outbreaks
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.04
Funders
- SCOR Corporate Foundation for Science
- European Commission
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Labex
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle