Detection and characterization of a novel human parechovirus genotype in Thailand Watchaporn Chuchaona a , Pattara Khamrin a,⇑ , Arpaporn Yodmeeklin a , Wilaiporn Saikruang a , Tipachan Kongsricharoern b , Nuthapong Ukarapol c , Shoko Okitsu d , Satoshi Hayakawa d , Hiroshi Ushijima d , Niwat Maneekarn a a Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand b Pediatric Hematology Unit, Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand c Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand d Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Nihon University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan article info Article history: Received 27 September 2014 Received in revised form 29 January 2015 Accepted 4 February 2015 Available online 11 February 2015 Keywords: Human parechovirus Genotype Diarrhea Children Thailand abstract Human parechoviruses (HPeV), member in the family Picornaviridae, cause respiratory symptoms pri- marily in infants and young children. Currently, 16 genotypes have been described based on phylogenetic analysis of VP1 sequences, all of which have a global distribution. The purpose of this study was to inves- tigate the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPeV in Thailand. A total of 171 fecal specimens col- lected during October 2012 to May 2013 from children with diarrhea in Chiang Mai, Thailand were investigated for HPeV by RT-PCR and sequence analysis. HPeVs were found in 3 out of 171 (1.8%) fecal specimens tested. Of these, one was HPeV1 which is commonly detected in children with gastroenteritis and another one was uncommon HPeV14 genotype. Most interestingly, the sequence of the third HPeV positive sample (CMH-N185-12) did not cluster with any of the known 16 genotypes and therefore is pro- posed as a candidate HPeV genotype 17. Ó 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Human parechoviruses (HPeVs) belong to the family Picor- naviridae, a highly diverse group of small, non-enveloped, single-s- tranded RNA genome of positive polarity, and many of which cause diseases in humans (Harvala and Simmonds, 2009). The genera within the family are important human pathogens such as rhi- noviruses, enteroviruses, polioviruses and hepatoviruses. HPeVs have been recognized as an important pediatric viral pathogen causing mild to severe infections including gastroenteritis, respira- tory infections, encephalitis and flaccid paralysis in children under 5 years of age (Stanway et al., 2000). HPeV1 and HPeV2 genotypes were originally isolated from children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and described previously as echovirus 22 (EV22) and EV23, respectively, but later have been classified into a new genus Parechovirus based on distinct molecular and biological character- istics from other echoviruses (Stanway et al., 1994). Since the reclassification, the number of HPeV genotypes has increased con- tinuously and currently a total of 16 genotypes have been described worldwide (www.picornaviridae.com/parechovirus/hpev/hpev.htm), while published data are available for only 12 genotypes, HPeV1–8, 10, 11, 12 and 14 (Joki-Korpela and Hyypia, 2001; Baumgarte et al., 2008; Drexler et al., 2009; Harvala and Simmonds, 2009; Ito et al., 2010; Pham et al., 2010b,c, 2011; Alam et al., 2012). Although 16 genotypes have been described on the basis of the phylogenetic analyses, the majority of published genotypes of HPeV are genotypes 1–8. As the HPeVs are comprised of highly diverse genotypes, high rates of recombinations have been report- ed (Ito et al., 2004). Even though HPeV1 and HPeV2 cause mild gas- trointestinal or respiratory illness, however, the more serious diseases have also been reported occasionally, including myocardi- tis, encephalitis, pneumonia, meningitis, flaccid paralysis, Reye syndrome, and fatal neonatal infection (Stanway et al., 2000; Khetsuriani et al., 2006). HPeV3 causes not only mild gastrointesti- nal and respiratory tract illness, but also severe illness such as sepsis and central nervous system (CNS) diseases (Boivin et al., 2005; Harvala and Simmonds, 2009), whereas HPeV4-8 seem to cause the diseases similar to those associated with HPeV1 and HPeV2 infections (Levorson and Jantausch, 2009). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2015.02.003 1567-1348/Ó 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author at: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, 110 Intawarorose, Sriphoom, Muang, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand. Tel.: +66 53 945332; fax: +66 53 217144. E-mail address: pattara.k@cmu.ac.th (P. Khamrin). Infection, Genetics and Evolution 31 (2015) 300–304 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Infection, Genetics and Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/meegid