Analysis and characterization of the complete genome of a member of a new species of kobuvirus associated with swine

A virus belonging to a new species in the genus Kobuvirus, family Picornaviridae, was first isolated in 2008 from apparently healthy pigs in Hungary and China. We report the complete genome sequence and the genetic organization of the novel porcine kobuvirus strain Y-1-CHI, which was identified in China. The RNA genome of strain Y-1-CHI contains 8210 nucleotides (nt) and has an organization similar to that of other picornaviruses. The full-length nucleotide sequence of Y-1-CHI was 88.62%, 58.66%, and 48.86% identical to those of S-1-HUN, U-1, and Aichi virus, respectively. No positive results were found in 454 stool samples from children with acute gastroenteritis. Dendrograms indicated that Y-1-CHI and S-1-HUN are most closely related to each other and belong to the same species. Our results suggest that members of this novel species have the typical genome characteristics of members of the genus Kobuvirus and may be distributed globally in swine.