Unmapped short reads from whole-genome sequencing indicate potential infectious pathogens in German Black Pied cattle

Abstract When resequencing animal genomes, some short reads cannot be mapped to the reference genome and are usually discarded. In this study, unmapped reads from 302 German Black Pied cattle were analyzed to identify potential pathogenic DNA. These unmapped reads were assembled and blasted against...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Guilherme B. Neumann, Paula Korkuć, Monika Reißmann, Manuel J. Wolf, Katharina May, Sven König, Gudrun A. Brockmann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2023-10-01
Series:Veterinary Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-023-01227-0
Description
Summary:Abstract When resequencing animal genomes, some short reads cannot be mapped to the reference genome and are usually discarded. In this study, unmapped reads from 302 German Black Pied cattle were analyzed to identify potential pathogenic DNA. These unmapped reads were assembled and blasted against NCBI’s database to identify bacterial and viral sequences. The results provided evidence for the presence of pathogens. We found sequences of Bovine parvovirus 3 and Mycoplasma species. These findings emphasize the information content of unmapped reads for gaining insight into bacterial and viral infections, which is important for veterinarians and epidemiologists.
ISSN:1297-9716