Discovery, Diversity and Evolution of Emerging Jingmenviruses

Jingmenviruses are a group of emerging arboviruses. In the past decade, a variety of jingmenviruses were identified from arthropods, mammals and even humans, which expands knowledge of their biodiversity. These viruses contain four or five segments of genomic RNA and the manner of packaging is very flexible. Surprisingly, two segments of jingmenviruses are derived from unsegmented orthoflaviviruses. Jingmenviruses form a monophyletic group within the Flaviviridae family and further can be divided into two groups: tick- and vertebrate-associated jingmenvirus and insect-associated jingmenvirus. Additionally, a few tick- and vertebrate-associated jingmenviruses have been linked to human diseases, highlighting the urgent need for extensive surveillance and further etiological investigation. The present review summarizes the discovery, diversity and evolution of emerging jingmenviruses, and highlights the potential risk of further human transmission.