Zhang-Qi6/Giant-viruses-accompany-eukaryotic-pathogens-enrichment-in-urban-soils

Urbanization reshapes soils, but its effects on eukaryotic pathogen persistence and giant-virus associations remain unclear. We analyzed 471 soil and soil-fauna gut metagenomes from 251 sites across 20 Chinese cities. Urban soils selectively enriched 11 urban interface pathogen (UIP) signatures in parks and across soil–fauna interfaces. Most UIP genomes carried lineage-concordant, multi-marker signals resembling nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs). Independently, NCLDV marker signals were elevated in urban park soils relative to adjacent forests, suggesting parallel enrichment of UIP and giant-virus signals under urbanization. Urban-soil NCLDV genomes contained stress-related homologs and candidate historical gene-sharing signals. Soil pH and dissolved organic carbon were key correlates of NCLDV marker-positive UIP abundance. Analysis of 1,718 global soil metagenomes further showed higher NCLDV marker-positive UIP abundance in urban anthromes than in croplands and wildlands. These findings highlight a giant-virus-linked dimension of urban soil pathogen ecology and support virome-aware One Health surveillance and soil management.