Identification of Bufavirus-1 and Bufavirus-3 in Feces of Patients with Acute Diarrhea, China

Bufavirus (BuV) is a newly discovered human parvovirus that has been detected in some countries. The current study was designed to understand the epidemic of BuV in China. Totally 1877 fecal specimens were collected from pediatric and adult patients with acute diarrhea in two large hospitals from 2010 to 2014. BuV was detected in 0.5% (9/1877) of the fecal samples by PCR and subsequent sequencing. The positive patients had a wide age range from 1 month through 60 years (median 24 years old) and 6 were male. A geographic specific pattern was obvious, with significantly higher frequency of BuV presented in Northern than in Southern China. Four BuV-1 and five BuV-3 were determined. Mixed-infections of BuV with sapovirus and novavirus were found in 2 cases, respectively. A temporal clustering was identified, with most positive detection focused in the cold weather. These findings have expanded the current knowledge on the geographic boundaries of BuV circulation.