Abstract
BackgroundMurine kobuviruses (MuKV) are newly recognized picornaviruses first detected in murine rodents in the USA in 2011. Little information on MuKV epidemiology in murine rodents is available. Therefore, we conducted a survey of the prevalence and genomic characteristics of rat kobuvirus in Guangdong, China.ResultsFecal samples from 223 rats (Rattus norvegicus) were collected from Guangdong and kobuviruses were detected in 12.6% (28) of samples. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial 3D and complete VP1 sequence regions showed that rat kobuvirus obtained in this study were genetically closely related to those of rat/mouse kobuvirus reported in other geographical areas. Two near full-length rat kobuvirus genomes (MM33, GZ85) were acquired and phylogenetic analysis of these revealed that they shared very high nucleotide/amino acids identity with one another (95.4%/99.4%) and a sewage-derived sequence (86.9%/93.5% and 87.5%/93.7%, respectively). Comparison with original Aichivirus A strains, such human kobuvirus, revealed amino acid identity values of approximately 80%.ConclusionOur findings indicate that rat kobuvirus have distinctive genetic characteristics from other Aichivirus A viruses. Additionally, rat kobuvirus may spread via sewage.
Highlights
Murine kobuviruses (MuKV) are newly recognized picornaviruses first detected in murine rodents in the USA in 2011
Kobuvirus consists of six species, including AichivirusA (AiVA; formerly Aichi virus), Aichivirus B (AiV B; formerly Bovine kobuvirus), Aichivirus C (AiV C; formerly Porcine kobuvirus), Aichivirus D (AiV D; formerly Kagovirus 1), Aichivirus E (AiV E; formerly rabbit kobuvirus), and Aichivirus F (AiV F; formerly bat kobuvirus) [6]
Twenty-eight (12.6%) Rattus norvegicus fecal samples were positive for Kobuvirus (3D region, 216nucleotides)
Summary
Murine kobuviruses (MuKV) are newly recognized picornaviruses first detected in murine rodents in the USA in 2011. Little information on MuKV epidemiology in murine rodents is available. We conducted a survey of the prevalence and genomic characteristics of rat kobuvirus in Guangdong, China. The genus Kobuvirus, belongs to family Picornaviridae [3]; its genome includes a 5′ untranslated region (UTR); a leader sequence(L); a large open frame encoding a single polyprotein of approximately 2400–2500 amino acids, which cleaves to produce three viral structural proteins (VP0, VP1, and VP3) and seven non-structural proteins (2A–2C and 3A–3D); a 3′UTR; and a poly (A) tail [4]. Canine kobuvirus, feline kobuvirus, and murine kobuvirus (MuKV) belong to AiV A [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
