Genome Sequencing and Molecular Epidemiology of Sapovirus. Sapovirus

Sapovirus are important enteric pathogens that can cause diarrhea in humans and animals. It infects both children and adults and has been found to cause gastroenteritis outbreaks. Human Sapovirus but not animal Sapovirus have also been reported in some African countries but no data is available from Ethiopia either for human or animals. This project aims to sequence and characterize Sapovirus from fecal specimens from gastroenteritis outbreaks or sporadic cases in Ethiopia from adjacent or nearby monitoring sites for water viral contamination, from drinking water and water sources for irrigation, and from unprocessed leafy greens (lettuce) using the water irrigation sources. We also aim to sequence some historical human and anima samples from the USA and compare the strains from developing and developed countries. Complete genome sequencing of both US and Ethiopian samples will improve our understanding of recombination frequency among caliciviruses and identify possible epistatic interactions between viral genes. The proposed study will add new knowledge to enteric sapovirus databases regarding potential virus transmission routes and strain diversity, which could be critical for the design of preventive strategies, the development of better diagnostics and future vaccine design. New strains may grow in cell culture and/or in animal models, providing research tools for pathogenesis and immunological studies.