Despite its isolation and extreme climate, Antarctica is home to diverse fauna and associated microorganisms. It has been proposed that the most iconic Antarctic animal, the penguin, experiences low pathogen pressure, accounting for their disease susceptibility in foreign environments. There is, however, a limited understanding of virome diversity in Antarctic species, the extent of in situ virus evolution, or how it relates to that in other geographic regions. To assess whether penguins have limited microbial diversity we determined the RNA viromes of three species of penguins and their ticks sampled on the Antarctic peninsula. Using total RNA sequencing we identified 107 viral species, comprising likely penguin associated viruses (n = 13), penguin diet and microbiome associated viruses (n = 82), and tick viruses (n = 8), two of which may have the potential to infect penguins. Notably, the level of virome diversity revealed in penguins is comparable to that seen in Australian waterbirds, including many of the same viral families. These data run counter to the idea that penguins are subject to lower pathogen pressure. The repeated detection of specific viruses in Antarctic penguins also suggests that rather than being simply spill-over hosts, these animals may act as key virus reservoirs.

尽管南极洲处于孤立和极端气候之中，但这里还是各种动物和相关微生物的家园。已经提出，最具标志性的南极动物企鹅经历低病原体压力，这说明了它们在外来环境中的疾病易感性。但是，对南极物种的病毒多样性，原位病毒进化的程度或与其他地理区域的病毒进化关系的了解有限。为了评估企鹅是否具有有限的微生物多样性，我们确定了三种企鹅的RNA病毒及其在南极半岛上采样的tick。使用总RNA测序，我们鉴定了107种病毒，包括可能与企鹅有关的病毒（n  = 13），企鹅饮食和微生物组有关的病毒（n = 82）和壁虱病毒（n  = 8），其中两种可能会感染企鹅。值得注意的是，企鹅所揭示的病毒多样性水平与澳大利亚水鸟（包括许多相同的病毒科）中的水平相当。这些数据与企鹅承受较低的病原体压力的想法背道而驰。在南极企鹅中反复检测到特定病毒也表明，这些动物不仅是简单的溢出宿主，还可以充当关键病毒库。