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Detection and Genogrouping of Noroviruses from Children's Stools By Taqman One-step RT-PCR
Published on: July 22, 2012
A novel picornavirus associated with gastroenteritis
Linlin Li1, Joseph Victoria, Amit Kapoor
1Blood Systems Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA.
Journal of Virology
|September 18, 2009
Summary
A new picornavirus, salivirus, was identified globally in stool samples and linked to gastroenteritis. Another related virus, klassevirus, also shows a worldwide distribution and potential for causing illness.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Gastroenterology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Picornaviruses are a diverse group of small RNA viruses known to cause various human and animal diseases.
- Unexplained gastroenteritis remains a significant public health concern, with novel viral agents frequently implicated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize novel picornaviruses associated with human illness.
- To investigate the global distribution and potential pathogenicity of newly discovered picornaviruses.
Main Methods:
- Genome sequencing of viral isolates from human stool samples.
- Phylogenetic analysis to determine viral relationships.
- Statistical analysis to assess association between virus shedding and clinical symptoms.
Main Results:
- A novel picornavirus, salivirus, was identified with distinct amino acid identities in the P1, P2, and P3 regions compared to Aichi virus.
- Salivirus strains were detected in stool samples from Nigeria, Tunisia, Nepal, and the United States.
- A significant association (P = 0.0056) was observed between salivirus shedding and unexplained gastroenteritis in Nepal.
- A related virus, klassevirus, with high nucleotide similarity (~90%), was reported globally in diarrhea cases and sewage.
Conclusions:
- Salivirus represents a newly identified genus within the Picornaviridae family.
- The global detection of salivirus and klassevirus suggests their widespread circulation.
- These findings support the role of salivirus and klassevirus as potential causative agents of gastroenteritis.
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