Prevalence and genetic characteristics of Saffold cardiovirus in China from 2009 to 2012

Zhang, Xiao-Ai; Lu, Qing-Bin; Wo, Ying; Zhao, Jin; Huang, Dou-Dou; Guo, Chen-Tao; Xu, Hong-Mei; Liu, En-Mei; Liu, Wei; Cao, Wu-Chun

From the 115 SAFV-positive patients, 82 patients were successfully sequenced for VP1 nucleotide sequences, and four genotypes were identified: SAFV-1 (8, 9.8%), SAFV-2 (41, 50.0%), SAFV-3 (29, 35.4%), and SAFV-6 (4, 4.9%). For cohort 1, the SAFV determined from 13 of the 17 positive patients were successfully grouped into three genotypes: SAFV-1 (3, 23.1%), SAFV-2 (9, 69.2%), and SAFV-3 (1, 7.7%). In cohort 2, nine of the 12 detected SAFV were assigned to two genotypes: SAFV-2 (4, 44.4%) and SAFV-3 (5, 55.6%). In cohort 3, 60 of the 86 SAFV-positive patients were successfully sequenced, and four genotypes were identified: SAFV-1 (5, 8.3%), SAFV-2 (28, 46.7%), SAFV-3 (23, 38.3%), and SAFV-6 (4, 6.7%). The uncommonly seen SAFV-6 was only found in the HFMD patients (Table 1) . Co-detections with other viruses were found in 70.4% (81/115) of the SAFV-positive patients, including 77 co-detections with one virus, three with two viruses, and one with three viruses. The patients with SAFV single infection had a median age of 20 months (range, 9 months-108 months), and 13 (70.6%) were boys, which were comparable with codetection patients (all P. 0.05). Three cohorts had comparable codetection rates (82.4%, 75.0%, and 67.4%, P 5 0.459) ( Table 1 ). In cohort 1, the most frequent co-detection occurred between SAFV and PIV (5 patients), followed by SAFV and RSV-B (4), HAdV (2), HBoV (2), COV (2), influenza virus A (1), influenza virus B (1), and HRV-A (1). In cohort 2, nine patients were found to have co-detections, including co-detection with norovirus GII (6), rotavirus group A (2), and HAdV (2). In cohort 3, 58 patients were found to have co-detection of SAFV with EV71 (23), CVA16 (17), and other EVs (18) .