High divergence of human astrovirus genotypes circulating in pediatric patients hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2017 to 2020

ABSTRCT Human astrovirus (HAstV) is one of the common causes of acute gastroenteritis in children. The investigation of the molecular epidemiology of HAstV is essential for monitoring the emergence and/or re-emergence of new HAstV genotypes, as well as understanding the evolution of HAstV genotypes circulating in children suffering from acute gastroenteritis. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and distribution of HAstV genotypes circulating in children < 5 years of age hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand during 2017 to 2020. A total of 1,500 fecal specimens collected from children diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis during 2017 to 2020 were screened for HAstV by RT-PCR and identified by nucleotide sequencing. The obtained sequences were compared with the reference sequences retrieved from GenBank database and analysed by MEGA X software to assign their genotypes. Of 1,500 fecal samples, 39 (2.6%) were positive for HAstV. Of these, both classic and novel HAstV genotypes, including classic HAstV1-HAstV5, novel HAstV-MLB1, MLB2, and novel HAstV-VA2, were detected in this study. The data in this study revealed a wide variety of HAstV genotypes circulating in pediatric patients admitted to the hospitals with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand during 2017 to 2020.