First detection of porcine norovirus GII.18 in Latin America

Human (Hu) noroviruses (NoVs) circulate worldwide infecting people of all ages in developing and developed countries. Animal NoVs present some antigenic and genetic relationship to HuNoVs, although their zoonotic potential has not been established yet. Among animal NoVs, porcine (Po) NoVs are the most genetically related to HuNoVs. PoNoVs have only been detected in healthy finisher pigs in a few developed countries. Information about them lacks in developing countries. In this study 96 fecal samples from pigs of different ages from five farms in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil were tested for NoVs. We report detection and genotyping by RT-PCR, nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of partial polymerase and capsid regions of viral genome PoNoV genogroup II genotype 18 (GII.18) in one stool sample from a healthy finisher pig. This is the first report of PoNoV detection in Latin America and it supports the assumption that PoNoVs present a worldwide distribution.