Detection of human parechoviruses in children with gastroenteritis in South Korea

Abstract

Human parechoviruses (HPeVs) are associated with gastroenteritis (GE), although their etiologic role is uncertain. The purpose of this study was to detect HPeVs in children with GE in Korea. A total of 348 stool samples that were negative for common enteric viruses were screened for HPeV using RT-PCR. Of the 348 stool samples, seven (2.0%) were positive for HPeV. Five Korean strains belonged to HPeV-1, and two strains belonged to HPeV-4. Four Korean HPeV-1 strains clustered with strain 7555312 and the other HPeV-1 strain clustered with the BNI-788St strain. Two HPeV-4 strains showed discordant phylogenic relationships in the 3D gene, suggesting that recombination had occurred. This is the first study reporting the detection of HPeVs in children with GE in Korea.