Viruses Genomes - AICHI VIRUS

Viruses cause many diseases in plants, animals, and humans. They are strict intracellular parasites with cellular specificity. Viral particles can be transmitted by different routes, such as contaminated food and water. People usually get infected orally, after ingestion of products contaminated during processing or subsequent handling or preparation. They are replicated in the human intestine, shed in faeces, and subsequently transmitted by oral (food-borne) routes. Since these viruses are quite stable, foods can become contaminated with human waste either by improper food handler hygiene, spraying of non-potable water on vegetables or via bioconcentration by filter feeding shellfish from contaminated growing waters.

Aichi virus was first recognised in 1989 as the cause of oyster-associated non-bacterial gastroenteritis in man. Aichi virus is cytopathic in BS-C-1 cells. Aichi virus appears to morphologically resemble astroviruses when examined by electron microscopy. Antibody surveys in Japan showed that exposure increased with age reaching about 80% in persons 35 years old. More recently Aichi virus was isolated from Pakistani children with gastroenteritis and from Japanese travellers returning from tours of Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia) who were complaining of similar symptoms.

References:

http://www.iah.bbsrc.ac.uk/virus/picornaviridae/Kobuvirus/Aichivirus/
http://www.ratsteachmicro.com/Viral_gastro_notes/HCOE_CAI_Review_Notes_Viral_Gastro.htm
http://www.vri.cz/docs/vetmed/50-3-89.pdf