Detection and characterization of porcine caliciviruses in Italy

Porcine noroviruses and sapoviruses have been sporadically reported in European countries, and more rarely in Italy. In this study, stools samples were collected from both asymptomatic and diarrheic pigs from northern Italy and were screened for caliciviruses by RT-PCR. Sapoviruses were detected frequently and were genetically related to both the GIII reference strain and the newly described porcine sapovirus genogroups. Porcine norovirus was detected in one asymptomatic pig (0.5%) and was genotyped as GII.11. This is the first detection of porcine norovirus in Italy.