Diversity and recombination of human parechovirus in children with acute gastroenteritis in Guangzhou, China.

Human parechovirus (HPeV), a member of Picornaviridae family, is a widespread pathogen causing a wide spectrum of diseases. Like other picornaviruses, HPeV genome recombination has been detected. A total of 322 fecal samples were collected from children outpatients in Guangzhou, China, including 42 (13.0%, 42/322) HPeV-positive samples detected in most of the infected children less than two years old. Seven HPeV genotypes (HPeV1, HPeV3, HPeV4, HPeV5, HPeV6, HPeV8 and HPeV14) were detected, among which, HPeV14, a rare genotype, was reported for the first time in children with acute gastroenteritis in China. This study revealed recombination events in eight samples. Clinical profiles did not yield statistical significance between children with HPeV infection alone and cases without pathogens detected. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that HPeV circulated in Guangzhou, China is diverse genetically, which provided evidence of recombination in HPeV in China. J. Med. Virol. 87:296-302, 2015. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.