Phylogeny and prevalence of kobuviruses in dogs and cats in the UK

AbstractThe kobuviruses represent an emerging genus in the Picornaviridae. Here we have used next generation sequencing and conventional approaches to identify the first canine kobuvirus (CaKoV) from outside the USA. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that a single lineage genotype of CaKoV now exists in Europe and the USA with 94% nucleotide similarity in the coding region. CaKoV was only identified in a single case from a case–control study of canine diarrhoea, suggesting this virus was not a frequent cause of disease in this population. Attempts to grow CaKoV in cell culture failed. Sequence analysis suggested CaKoV was distinct from human Aichi virus (AiV), and unlikely to pose a significan…