Metagenomic analysis of the virome of pooled plasma from healthy blood donors

Abstract Qualified blood from healthy donors may still contain infectious pathogens that could become important threats to human life. The objective of this study was to screen for blood-borne viruses and analyze the virome profiles in plasma via metagenomic sequencing. A total of 1,200 plasma samples were collected and mixed into 12 pools based on sampling time, then DNA and cDNA libraries were constructed for sequencing which was carried out by Illumina NovaSeq 6000 system. After data cleaning and filtering using bioinformatic tools, 2336 viral reads via DNA sequencing and 61985 viral reads via cDNA sequencing were obtained. Seven DNA viruses belonging to three families and one RNA virus were identified from these reads. Most of the viruses found in pooled plasma were considered non- pathogenic, especially anellovirus found in all 12 pools and human pegivirus detected in 7 of the 12 pools. Three pathogenic viruses were found by DNA sequencing, including human herpes virus 6A, human cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus. All of them belong to the family Herpesviridae and their reads accounted for 7.9% (184/2336). Currently, data on anellovirus and human pegivirus in China are scarce. The herpes virus, which has a high sero-prevalence, is not a mandatory marker for blood screening. This study preliminary elucidated the virome spectra in blood from qualified donors in Guangzhou and contributed to information regarding blood transfusion safety in China.