Abstract
Enteroviruses (EVs) are small, nonenveloped viruses of the family Picornaviridae. EVs are classified into 12 species according to the molecular and antigenic properties of their viral capsid protein (VP1). To date, 7 species are known to infect humans, including EV-A to EV-D and rhinovirus A, B, and C. During March 2007–March 2013, we screened for EV-C117 in respiratory samples from patients with RTIs in China and Mongolia, including nasopharyngeal aspirates collected from 3,108 children in China who had lower respiratory tract infections when they were admitted to Beijing Children’s Hospital and swab samples from 2,516 patients in Mongolia with influenza-like illness. Respiratory viruses in samples from China were screened by using multiplex PCR and single PCR assays as described. Samples from Mongolia were screened by using the FTD Respiratory Pathogens Multiplex Assay Kit (Fast-track Diagnostics, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg). EV-positive samples were further genotyped by using reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and primers sequentially targeting the VP1 region, the 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR)/VP4/VP2 region and the 5′-UTR. A 394-nt amplicon corresponding to the 5′-UTR of EVs was obtained from 10 children in China; a 598-nt amplicon corresponding to the 5′-UTR/VP4/VP2 region was obtained by RT-PCR from 5 children in Mongolia. Blastn analysis of PCR amplicons showed that only amplicons detected in 2 children from China (patients BCH096A and BCH104A) and 2 children from Mongolia (patients MGL126 and MGL208) had the highest similarity (95%–98%) to the EV-C117 prototype strain LIT22.