Novel Species Diversity in China’s Northeastern Border Region

The northeastern region of China is characterized by complex ecosystems, including forests and wetlands, and borders North Korea, Russia, and Mongolia. It serves not only as a natural reservoir for various microorganisms but also as a critical geographical and ecological hub for cross-border exchanges in Northeast Asia. Based on metagenomics and meta-transcriptomics investigations, this study systematically reviews the current research status of novel pathogens in the northeastern border region of China. It systematically organizes the newly discovered species, their classifications, and geographical distributions, with a focus on analyzing novel viruses that have potential pathogenicity to humans. The novel viruses identified in the northeastern border region belong to 11 viral families, including 9 from the Nairoviridae, 4 from the Rhabdoviridae, 3 each from the Astroviridae, Picornaviridae, and Parvoviridae, and 1–2 from other viral families, indicating a broad diversity of newly discovered viruses. These novel viruses are found in a wide range of hosts, including humans, ticks, minks, Marmota sibirica, and Myodes rufocanus, underscoring the significant public health risks these viruses pose. Geographically, the novel viruses discovered in the northeastern border region show a clustering pattern, with new species primarily concentrated in areas bordering Russia and North Korea. This highlights the unique role of the region as a hotspot for cross-border pathogen transmission and risk. The findings provide a systematic scientific reference for understanding the spectrum of unknown novel pathogens and their geographical distribution in the northeastern border region, assessing the risk of emerging infectious diseases, and optimizing active surveillance systems.