Genome-wide characterization of a salivirus strain isolated in Fujian province

  Objective  To analyze whole genome characteristics and genetic background of a salivirus strain isolated in Fujian province.

  Methods  Next-generation sequencing was performed on a salivirus-positive specimen detected from 342 feces samples from the children with diarrhea in Fujian province in 2018 to obtain the whole genome sequence of the virus strain named FUAN-01. The FUAN-01' s genetic evolution in nucleotide sequence and the nucleotide and amino acid of VP1 region were analyzed.

  Results  The full-length nucleotide of FUAN-01 is 7907 bp. The nucleotide homology between the whole genome of the virus strain and that of the reference strain is 81.86% – 98.21%, and the homology is the highest with KT182636 strain. There are differences in 14 amino acid sites of the open reading frame (ORF) region coding protein between the two strains. The nucleotide acid homology between VP1 of FUAN-01 and the reference strain was 76.83% – 97.81%, and the homology is the highest with KT182636 strain. The homology of amino acids between the FUAN-01 and that of reference strain is 85.27% – 99.22% and the homology is also the highest with that of KT182636 strains. The FUAN-01 belongs to salivirus A1 (SAV-A1) genotype.

  Conclusion  A salivirus strain was first isolated in feces specimens from the children with diarrhea in Fujian province. The domestic SAV-A1 strain may be introduced from the same source and may be epidemiologically associated with the viruses of European origin. A reliable screening strategy should be established to further study the etiology and epidemiology of salivirus infection in Fujian.