RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Infection with viruses especially rotavirus, norovirus, astrovirus, and adenovirus has been known to be a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in children under 5 years of age globally, particularly in developing countries. Also, some genotypes of enteroviruses (EVs) have been reported to be associated with gastroenteritis. This study is aimed to investigate the prevalence and genotype diversity of EV in children admitted to hospitals with acute gastroenteritis. METHODS: A total of 1,736 fecal specimens were collected from children hospitalized with diarrhea in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 2015 to 2018. All specimens were tested for the presence of EV by RT-PCR of the 5' untranslated region. The genotypes of EV were further identified by nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the viral protein 1 (VP1) gene. RESULTS: EV was detected in 154 out of 1,736 specimens (8.9%) throughout the study period. The prevalence of EV detected in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 was 7.2%, 9.0%, 11.2%, and 8.6%, respectively. EV was detected all year round with a high prevalence during rainy season in Thailand. Overall, 37 genotypes of EV were identified in this study. Among these, coxsackievirus (CV)-A24 and CV-B5 (7.5% each), and EV-C96 (6.8%) were the common genotypes detected. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the prevalence, seasonal distribution, and genotype diversity of EV circulating in children hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand during the period 2015 to 2018.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Enteric viruses are responsible for waterborne and foodborne infections affecting a large number of people around the world. Picobirnavirus (PBV) is a highly versatile virus, detected in a wide range of hosts and has been reported to be associated with gastroenteritis in humans and animals. METHODS: Molecular screening of environmental water samples for PBV was performed over a period of two years from November 2016 to July 2018. The virus was detected by RT multiplex-PCR, nucleotide sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: Out of 125 water samples, 1.6% (2 samples) tested positive for PBV. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that both PBV strains detected in this study belonged to PBV genotype II and most closely related to the human PBV genotype II reference strains previously detected in China, the Netherlands, and the USA. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports the first detection of PBV genotype II in environmental water in Thailand. Our result highlights the need for better sanitation and disposal of waste water within this area.
