SAffold viruses in pediatric patients with diarrhea in Thailand

Saffold virus (SAFV) is a newly discovered human virus which is classified into the genus Cardiovirus of the family Picornaviridae. A total of 608 fecal specimens collected during January 2012 to December 2013 from children with diarrhea in Chiang Mai, Thailand were investigated for SAFV by RT-nested PCR and sequence analysis. Of these, nine out of 608 (1.5%) were positive for SAFVs and four genotypes were identified, SAFV1, SAFV2, SAFV3, and SAFV4. SAFV mono-infection was found in five cases (CMH-S038–12, CMH-S071–12, CMH-S102–12, CMH-N029–12, and CMH-S048–13), while co-infection with other viruses causing diarrhea was observed in four cases (CMH-S021–12, CMH-S115–12, CMH-N048–13 and CMH-N103–13). This study provides more information about the genetic background of SAFV circulating in pediatric patients with diarrhea in Thailand. J. Med. Virol. 87:702–707, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.