%0 Journal Article
%T Novel Gyroviruses, including Chicken Anaemia Virus, in Clinical and Chicken Samples from South Africa
%A Heidi E. M. Smuts
%J Advances in Virology
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/321284
%X Introduction. Chicken anaemia virus, CAV, was until recently the only member of the Gyrovirus genus. 6 novel gyroviruses, AGV2, HGyV1, and GyV3-6, have since been discovered in human and chicken samples. Methods. PCR amplification of the VP2 gene was used to detect AGV2/HGyV1, GyV3, and CAV in a range of clinical samples including stool, respiratory, CSF, and HIV-positive plasma. Screening of fresh local chicken meat was also performed. Results. AGV2/HGyV1 or GyV3 was detected in stools from healthy children (17/49, 34.7%) and patients with diarrhoea (22/149, 14.8%). 1.2% (3/246) nasopharyngeal respiratory samples were positive. No AGV2/HGyV1 or GyV3 was detected in nasal swabs from wheezing patients, in CSF from patients with meningitis, and in HIVpositive plasma. CAV was found in 51% (25/49) of stools from healthy children and 16% (24/149) in diarrhoea samples. Screening of 28 chicken samples showed a higher prevalence of gyrovirus (20/28, 71%) compared to CAV (1/28, 3.6%). Phylogenetic analysis of the CAV VP1 gene showed South African sequences clustering with Brazilian isolates from genotypes D2 and A2. Conclusion. Novel gyroviruses, including CAV, are present in the South African population with diarrhoea and respiratory illness as well as in healthy children. Their presence suggests an origin from chicken meat consumption. 1. Introduction Until recently chicken anaemia virus (CAV) was the only member of the genus Gyrovirus in the Circoviridae family. This genus is characterized by small nonenveloped DNA viruses with a negative sense single-stranded circular DNA of about 2.3£¿kb [1]. Circoviruses, in contrast, have an ambisense genome. The similarity of the gyrovirus genome organization to annelloviruses, with 3 overlapping open reading frames (ORFs), has led to the recommendation that gyroviruses become a subfamily, Gyrovirinae, within the Anelloviridaefamily [2]. In early 2011 Rijsewijk et al. [3] reported the discovery of a distant relative to CAV, avian gyrovirus 2 (AGV2), in diseased chicken from Brazil, with only 40% homology to CAV. Later that year, Sauvage et al. [4] identified a very closely related gyrovirus on human skin (HGyV1). Subsequently 4 other novel gyroviruses have been described. Gyrovirus 3 (GyV3) was identified by viral metagenomics in faeces from Chilean children with acute gastroenteritis and also in chicken meat [5]. A phylogenetically distinct gyrovirus (GyV4) was also discovered in both human stool samples and chicken meat by 454 pyrosequencing [6]. Further 2 divergent gyroviruses, GyV5 and GyV6, were found in the stools
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/av/2014/321284/