Molecular epidemiology, genome characterization, and recombination event of human parechovirus

Abstract

Human Parechovirus (HPeV), a member of the Picornaviridae family, is an infectious agent mostly affecting children. There are 16 recognized genotypes which have globally spread. This study incorporated a total of 2957 nasopharyngeal (NP) swab and 759 fecal samples that were collected from different parts of Thailand. The NP of HPeV was detected in 0.4% of NP swab and 6.1% of fecal samples. The majority of HPeV infections occur in infants below the age of 2 years, while infections were detected in children above the age of 10 years as well. Various genotypes comprising 1A, 1B, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 14 have been characterized. This study revealed recombination events in 16 samples in which HPeV1B was shown as the highest frequency. In conclusion, HPeV can be detected in both the respiratory and GI tract. Moreover, HPeV which circulates in Thailand is highly diverse and subject to recombination.