Family: Picornaviridae

Genus: Sakobuvirus

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 (Ng et al., 2014): c. 7,800 nt (5′-UTR: 591 nt; ORF: 7,059 nt; 3′-UTR: 157 nt). The 5′-UTR contains a predicted type IV IRES. The location of the cre has not been identified. 

Genome organization and replication

Genome layout:

VPg+5′-UTR^IRES-IV-[L-1AB-1C-1D/2A^H-Box/NC-2B-2C/3A-3B-3C-3D]-3′-UTR-poly(A)

The deduced polyprotein is of 2,352 amino acids. There is an L protein with unknown function. 1AB remains uncleaved. The 2A protein has an H-box/NC sequence motif. 

Biology

No virus has been isolated. Viral RNA was detected in faeces of apparently healthy cats. Partial sequences of sakobu-like viruses were obtained from faecal samples of fur seals (Kluge et al., 2016). 

Derivation of names

Sakobuvirus: from salivirus- and kobuvirus-related virus

Species demarcation criteria

There is only a single species in the genus. 

Related, unclassified viruses 

Virus names and virus abbreviations are not official ICTV designations. 

* partial genome