The present study aimed to provide a molecular characterization of circulating rotavirus (RVA) strains in Rio Branco, Acre, in the post-rotavirus vaccination period, particularly with regard to the emerging, increasingly prevalent G12P[8] genotype. A total of 488 fecal specimens from diarrheic and non-diarrheic children were obtained between January and December 2012. RVA detection was initially performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, followed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using specific primers. RVA was detected in 18.3% (44/241) of the children with acute diarrhea and in 1.2% (3/247) of the non-diarrheic children (P < 0.001), with overall RVA-positivity of 9.6% (47/488). The most common genotype was G2P[4] with 43.2% (19/44) of the diarrheic cases, followed by G12P[8] (27.3%, 12/44), G3P[6] (18.2%, 8/44), G3P[8] (4.5%, 2/44), and G12P[6] (2.3%, 1/44). G12 samples belonged to lineage III and were from children aged 4-52 months. All of these children had acute diarrhea associated with fever (83.3%, 10/12) and vomiting (66.7%, 8/12). Most of the cases occurred in August (58.3%, 7/12), 75% (9/12) of which having received the full vaccination scheme with Rotarix™. For the first time G12 was reported at relative high prevalence in Brazil. Our findings warrant further monitoring studies on the molecular characterization of circulating RVA strains after rotavirus vaccine introduction in Brazil and elsewhere, since the occurrence of either unusual our emerging genotypes may pose a challenge to vaccination strategies.

Human bocavirus (HBoV) is an emerging virus detected around the world that may be associated with cases of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). However, its contribution to AGE has not been elucidated. This study aimed to describe the frequency, clinical features, and HBoV species circulation in children up to 5 years with or without AGE symptoms in Acre, Northern Brazil. A total of 480 stool samples were collected between January and December 2012. Fecal samples were used for extraction, nested PCR amplification, and sequencing for genotyping. Statistical analysis was applied to verify the association between epidemiological and clinical characteristics. Overall, HBoV-positivity was 10% (48/480), with HBoV-positive rates of 8.4% (19/226) and 11.4% (29/254) recorded in diarrheic and non-diarrheic children, respectively. The most affected children were in the age group ranging between 7 and 24 months (50%). HBoV infection was more frequent in children who live in urban areas (85.4%), use water from public networks (56.2%), and live with adequate sewage facilities (50%). Co-detection with other enteric viruses was 16.7% (8/48) and the most prevalent coinfection was RVA+ HBoV (50%, 4/8). HBoV-1 was the most frequent species detected in diarrheic and non-diarrheic children, responsible for 43.8% (21/48) of cases, followed by HBoV-3 (29.2%, 14/48) and HBoV-2 (25%, 12/48). In this study, HBoV infection was not always associated with AGE, as most HBoV cases belonged to the non-diarrheal group. Future studies are warranted in order to determine the role of HBoV in causing acute diarrhea disease.

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Human bocavirus (HBoV) is an emerging virus that has been detected worldwide that could be associated with cases of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). However, its contribution to AGE has not been elucidated. This study aimed to describe the frequency, clinical features, and HBoV genotypes circulation in children up to 5 years with or without AGE symptoms in Acre, Northern Brazil. A total of 480 stool samples were collected between January and December 2012. Fecal samples were used for extraction, nested PCR amplification, and sequencing for genotyping. Statistical analysis was applied to verify the association between epidemiological and clinical characteristics. Overall HBoV-positivity was 10% (48/480), being HBoV-positivity rates of 8.4% (19/226) and 11.4% (29/254) recorded among diarrheic and non-diarrheic children, respectively. The most affected age group was between 7 and 24 months (50%). HBoV infection was more frequent in children living in urban areas (85.4%), using water from the public network (56.2%), and living with adequate sewage facilities (50%). Co-infection with other enteric viruses was 16.7% (8/48) and the most prevalent coinfection was RVA+ HBoV (50%, 4/8). HBoV‐1 was the most frequent species detected, responsible for 43.8% (21/48) of cases, followed by HBoV-3 (29.2%, 14/48) and HBoV-2 (25%, 12/48). In the present study, HBoV infections are not associated with AGE, as most HBoV cases belonged to the non-diarrheal group without AGE symptoms. Future studies are warranted to determine the role of HBoV in causing acute diarrhea disease.

This present study has aimed to provide a molecular characterization of rotavirus species A (RVA) and to determine the frequency of RVC and RVH in fecal specimens from nonvaccinated piglets, across 5 farms in the metropolitan mesoregion of Belém, within the Amazon region, Brazil. In the previous study, porcine RVA was found in 9.9% (17/172) during the years 2008-2009. Using RT-PCR, Sanger nucleotide sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses, the entire genomes of 17 Brazilian porcine RVA strains were analyzed. The results indicated that all strains shared the same constellation, with the exception of the VP3 and NSP3 genes, which were M2 and T7 genotypes, respectively. The VP1, VP2, NSP2, NSP4 and NSP5 coding segments clustered into the Wa-like constellation; genotype 1, and VP7, VP4, VP6 and NSP1 genes were typically of porcine origin. RVA genes infecting pigs presented a high degree of nucleotide similarity to strains from other hosts, including humans. Little is known about the zoonotic potential of rotaviruses in Brazil, but the results of this study show dynamic interactions between human and porcine rotavirus strains and constitute an increase in knowledge on the diversity of RVA strains, in animal reservoirs circulating in the Amazon region.