Dan Yu , Yanfang Zhang , Zhixun Xie * , Sisi Luo , Liji Xie , Meng Li , Tingting Zeng , Qing Fan , Minxiu Zhang , Xiaofeng Li , You Wei , Aiqiong Wu , Lijun Wan

GuangXi Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, GuangXi Veterinary Research Institute, Key Laboratory of China (GuangXi)-ASEAN Cross-Border Animal Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Nanning 530001, China

ABSTRACT  Gyrovirus galga1 (GyG1), an emerging pathogen within the Anelloviridae family, exhibits expanding host diversity and zoonotic potential, yet its epidemiological patterns and genomic determinants remain poorly characterized. To address this critical knowledge gap, we conducted the first comprehensive molecular epidemiological investigation of GyG1 in Guangxi, China (2020-2025). The result revealed three key advances: (1) Molecular-epidemiological evidence of winter-spring seasonality and age-dependent transmission, with breeder chickens showing biphasic peaks (1–6 and > 21 weeks) contrasting broilers’ progressive carriage; (2) Genomic characterization revealing VP1-VP3 as nuclear-localized hydrophilic proteins, identifying VP1 nuclear targeting as a therapeutic vulnerability; (3) Functional annotation of recombination-driven evolution, including a temporal paradox in strain KX708518′s ancestry. This study elucidates GyG1’s ecological dynamics in a highdensity poultry region and provides critical data for One Health surveillance and vaccine development, addressing a key gap in gyrovirus countermeasures.

KEYWORDS  Gyrovirus galga1; Prevalence; Complete genome; Phylogenetic analysis; Gene function

Poultry Science.  2025 Nov;104(11):105776. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.105776. Epub 2025 Sep 3.