title: A highly prevalent and genetically diversified Picornaviridae genus in South Asian children.
abstract: Viral metagenomics focused on particle-protected nucleic acids was used on the stools of South Asian children with nonpolio acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). We identified sequences distantly related to Seneca Valley virus and cardioviruses that were then used as genetic footholds to characterize multiple viral species within a previously unreported genus of the Picornaviridae family. The picornaviruses were detected in the stools of >40% of AFP and healthy Pakistani children. A genetically diverse and highly prevalent enteric viral infection, characteristics similar to the Enterovirus genus, was therefore identified substantially expanding the genetic diversity of the RNA viral flora commonly found in children.
authors.affiliation: Blood Systems Research Institute, San Francisco CA 94118, USA.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kapoor
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Victoria
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simmonds
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Slikas
authors.forename: Thaweesak
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chieochansin
authors.forename: Asif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naeem
authors.forename: Shahzad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shaukat
authors.forename: Salmaan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharif
authors.forename: Muhammad Masroor
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.forename: Mehar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Angez
authors.forename: Chunlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Shafer
authors.forename: Sohail
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zaidi
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Delwart
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D010849:Picornaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010850:Picornaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence