Molecular detection of Porcine astrovirus in Sichuan Province, China

BACKGROUND: Porcine astrovirus (PoAstV) is widely distributed worldwide, and is highly prevalent among piglets with or without diarrhea, existing as at least five distinct lineages (PoAstV1–PoAstV5) within the genus Mamastrovirus. However, our knowledge of the diversity and epidemiology of PoAstV in China is limited. RESULTS: In this study, fecal samples from 21/120 (17.5 %) domestic pigs, including 18/100 (18 %) diarrheic and 3/20 (15 %) healthy pigs, and from 1/9 (11.1 %) healthy wild boars tested in Sichuan Province were positive for PoAstV on reverse transcription–PCR. Of the 22 positive samples, 13.6 % were positive for PoAstV only, whereas 40.9 % also contained Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), 22.7 % also contained porcine group A rotavirus (PRoVA), and 22.7 % also contained PEDV and PRoVA. A phylogenetic analysis of the RdRp gene revealed genetic heterogeneity among the PoAstV sequences and two lineages were detected in this study, with PoAstV-2 predominant. PoAstV-5 was detected in wild boars for the first time. CONCLUSIONS: PoAstV infections exist in Sichuan Province regardless of the disease status in the pig population, either alone or in combination with other enteric viruses, and may be associated with diarrhea. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12985-015-0462-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.