Near full length genome of a recombinant (E/D) cosavirus strain from a rural area in the central region of Brazil

Abstract

In the present article we report the nearly full length genome of a Cosavirus strain (BRTO-83) isolated from a child with acute gastroenteritis, and who is an inhabitant of a rural area in the central region of Brazil. The sample was previously screened and negative for both: common enteric viruses (i.e. rotavirus and norovirus), bacteria, endoparasites and helminthes. Evolutionary analysis and phylogenetic inferences indicated that the Brazilian BRTO-83 Cosavirus strain was a recombinant virus highly related to the E/D recombinant NG385 strain (Genbank JN867757), which was isolated in Nigeria from an acute flaccid paralysis patient. This is the first report of a recombinant E/D Cosavirus strain detected in Brazil, and the second genome described worldwide. Further surveillance and molecular studies are required to fully understand the epidemiology, distribution and evolution of the Cosavirus.