Identification of a novel astrovirus in a domestic pig in Hungary

The family Astroviridae consists of two genera, Avastrovirus and Mamastrovirus, whose members are associated with gastroenteritis in avian and mammalian hosts, respectively. We serendipitously identified a novel porcine astrovirus in a fecal specimen from a domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) in Hungary. Sequencing of a fragment indicated that it was an ORF1b/ORF2/3'UTR sequence, and it has been submitted to the database as porcine astrovirus type 2 (PAstV-2/Hungary/2007) with accession number GU562296. Its unique sequence characteristics and its phylogenetic position suggest that PAstV-2 could be an important link between previously reported astroviruses and that a genetically divergent lineage of astroviruses exist in piglets.