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Updated: Apr 4, 2026

An Allelotyping PCR for Identifying Salmonella enterica serovars Enteritidis, Hadar, Heidelberg, and Typhimurium
Published on: July 22, 2011
Salivirus type 1 and type 2 in patients with acute gastroenteritis, Germany
Souhaib Aldabbagh1, Isabella Eckerle1, Andreas Müller2
1Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, D-53105 Bonn, Germany.
Background:
Salivirus (SaV-A) is a novel member of the family Picornaviridae and has been associated with acute gastroenteritis. Recently, a second type of SaV-A, SaV-A2, was identified in a sewage sample from Bangkok, Thailand. No information is available on the prevalence of SaV-A in Western Europe.
Objectives:
Stool samples from patients with symptoms of acute viral gastroenteritis were analyzed for SaV-A and the clinical course of SaV-A-positive individuals was evaluated.
Study Design:
A total of 3019 fecal samples collected during 2012-2013 from 1941 hospitalized patients with acute gastroenteritis were screened for SaV-A by a newly designed real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction targeting a conserved sequence in the 5'-untranslated region. Positive results were verified by sequencing the viral capsid protein 1 gene also allowing typing of the virus. Medical records of SaV-A-infected patients were reviewed for clinical features and laboratory data.
Results:
SaV-A was detected in five patients. Viral RNA concentrations ranged from 7.1×10(6) to 7.2×10(8)copies/g feces. The viruses from four patients were classified as SaV-A1 while SaV-A2 was present in one patient. After reviewing the medical records, SaV-A could not be considered as the sole possible cause of gastroenteritis symptoms given the presence of other plausible causes in all five patients.
Conclusion:
SaV-A infection can be detected in Germany, Western Europe, albeit at low levels. The detection of SaV-A2 in Europe suggests wider spread of SaV-A2. Presence of SaV-A, even at high concentrations, in a stool sample provides no conclusive evidence that SaV is the major cause of the patient's gastroenteritis symptoms.
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