RT-PCR test for detecting porcine sapovirus in weanling piglets in Hunan Province, China

The prevalence of porcine sapovirus infection in weanling pigs was investigated in Hunan Province, China, between August 2006 and October 2007. A total of 153 diarrheic fecal samples from ten intensive pig farms from ten representative administrative regions in Hunan province were examined for porcine sapoviruses using RT-PCR. Twenty-two of 153 (14.37 %) samples were found to contain porcine sapoviruses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all the porcine sapovirus isolates in Hunan Province belonged to the porcine sapovirus genogroup III. The results of the present investigation have implications for the control of porcine sapovirus infection in pigs in Hunan Province, China.