# For pet’s sake: Discovering a naturally occurring zebrafish virus

## TL;DR

Researchers found a natural virus in zebrafish using metatranscriptomics and cohousing, offering a new model for studying host-virus interactions.

## Contribution

The study introduces a method combining metatranscriptomics and cohousing to identify natural zebrafish viruses for lab research.

## Key findings

- A natural pathogenic virus was identified in laboratory zebrafish.
- Metatranscriptomics and cohousing experiments effectively uncover natural viral infections.
- This approach provides a new model for studying host-pathogen interactions in zebrafish.

## Abstract

Zebrafish are often used to model host-pathogen interactions, but few models of natural virus infection have been established. A new study in PLOS Biology shows that metatranscriptomics and cohousing experiments can uncover a natural pathogenic virus of zebrafish for laboratory study.

Zebrafish are often used to model host-pathogen interactions, but few models of natural virus infection have been established. This Primer explores a new study in PLOS Biology that presents a strategy to uncover viruses that are natural pathogens of laboratory zebrafish using meta-transcriptomics and co-housing experiments.