Family: Picornaviridae
Genus: Salivirus
Distinguishing features
The genus is distinguished on the basis of genetic characters.
Virion
Morphology
No details are available on the morphology of virions.
Nucleic acid
Genome (Li et al., 2009, Greninger et al., 2009, Holtz et al., 2009): 7,982–8,021 nt (5′-UTR: 709–763 nt; ORF: 7,110–7,125 nt; 3′-UTR: 148 nt). The location of the cre has not been identified.
Genome organization and replication
Genome layout:
VPg+5′-UTRIRES-V-[L-1AB-1C-1D/2AH-Box/NC-2B-2C/3A-3B-3C-3D]-3′-UTR-poly(A)
The deduced polyprotein is of 2,374 amino acids. There is an L protein with unknown function. 1AB remains uncleaved. The 2A protein has no H-box/NC sequence motif.
Biology
No virus has been isolated. Viral RNA was detected in faeces of humans with gastroenteritis and non-polio acute flaccid paralysis and of chimpanzees. Two genetic types are distinguished by means of phylogenetic analysis (Yu et al., 2015, Aldabbagh et al., 2015, Ng et al., 2012).
Derivation of names
Salivirus: from stool aichi-like virus
These viruses have also been named klassevirus for kobu-like viruses associated with stool and sewage (Greninger et al., 2009).
Species demarcation criteria
There is only a single species in the genus.