Genetic Evolution and Variation of Human Adenovirus Serotype 31 Epidemic Strains in Beijing, China, during 2010-2022

Human adenovirus serotype 31 (HAdV-31) is closely associated with gastroenteritis in children and can cause fatal systemic disseminated diseases in immunocompromised patients. The lack of genomic data for HAdV-31, especially in China, will greatly limit research on its prevention and control. Sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were performed for HAdV-31 strains from diarrheal children in Beijing, China, during 2010-2022. Three capsid protein genes (hexon, penton, and fiber) were obtained in 37 cases, including one in which the whole genome was sequenced. HAdV-31 strains clustered into three distinct clades (I-III) in a phylogenetic tree constructed based on concatenated genes and the whole genome; the endemic strains only gathered into clade II, and most of the reference strains clustered into clade I. Compared with penton and hexon, fiber had a faster evolutionary rate (1.32 × 10^-4 substitutions/site/year), an earlier divergence time (1697), lower homology (98.32-100% at the amino acid level), and greater genetic variation (0.0032). Four out of the six predicted positive selection pressure codons were also in the knob of fiber. These results reveal the molecular evolution characteristics and variations of HAdV-31 in Beijing, and fiber may be one of the main evolution driving forces.