Abstract
Noroviruses (NoVs) are one of the major causative agents of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. NoVs, belonging to Caliciviridae, are classified into ten genogroups (G) and eight P-groups based on major capsid protein (VP1) and of the RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase (RdRp), respectively. In swine, the main genogroup and P-group identified are GII and GII.P; which can infect humans too. To date, only one case of GIIP.11 have been identified in swine in Italy while the circulation of other P-types is currently unknown. In the present study, 225 swine faecal samples were collected from 74 swine herds in Veneto region through on-farm monitoring. NoV circulation was particularly high in older pigs. The phylogenetic analysis showed the co-circulation of NoVs belonging to two different P-types: GII.P11 and GII.P18, here described for the first time in Italy, presenting an extensive genetic diversity, never described before worldwide. Distinct NoV genetic subgroups and unique amino acid mutations were identified for each P-type for the first time. This study demonstrated the co-circulation of diverse swine NoVs subgroups in Italy, raising questions on the origin of such diversity and suggesting that continuous monitoring of swine NoVs is needed to track the emergence of potentially zoonotic viruses by recombination events.
Highlights
Food- and water-borne infections, which are mainly manifested with gastroenteritis in humans, represent a significant public health burden
We demonstrate that two NoVs P-types co-circulate in pigs in Italy, GII.P11 and GII.P18, with GII.P11 possessing a considerable genetic diversity, and GPII.[18] here described for the first time, in Italy
Our study provided a set of new information on GII NoVs circulating in the animal reservoir, representing the only study available on swine NoV conducted over one year, in one of the major swine production areas in Italy
Summary
Food- and water-borne infections, which are mainly manifested with gastroenteritis in humans, represent a significant public health burden. Among food-borne viruses, Noroviruses (NoVs) are a leading pathogen, causing epidemic gastroenteritis cases worldwide[1]. Based on the RdRp sequence, NoVs are classified into eight P (polymerase)-groups and further divided into 60 P-types. To further elucidate the presence of NoVs in swine in the same region, which is one of the densely populated pig region in Italy, and assess the circulation of other P-groups and/or P-types, a field investigation, with a different sampling strategy was conducted between 2018 and 2019. We demonstrate that two NoVs P-types co-circulate in pigs in Italy, GII.P11 and GII.P18, with GII.P11 possessing a considerable genetic diversity, and GPII.[18] here described for the first time, in Italy. Our study indicates that NoV circulation is higher in fattening farms and in animals>90 days old and that NoV P-type is not associated with herd typology
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