Detection of Human Parechovirus a in Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, and Neurological Clinical Samples of Hospitalized Patients in Panama

Human parechoviruses, officially known as Parechovirus A (PeV-A), from the family Picornaviri-dae, genus Parechovirus, are non-enveloped, icosahedral, positive-sense RNA viruses associated with mild gastrointestinal and respiratory illness in young children, however, they may also give rise to Central Nervous System (CNS) infections and neonatal sepsis. While studies have delved into the detection of HPeVs in different populations, the detection of PeV-A in Hispanic populations in Latin American countries is not well-known. The aim of this study was to characterize PeV-A circulating in the Republic of Panama. Respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological samples were collected from 200 Panamanian pe-diatric patients hospitalized between 2014 and 2015 and were analyzed for the presence of PeV-A by real-time RT-PCR. PeV-A positive samples were sequenced for genetic characterization. These samples followed predetermined inclusion criteria and were negative for viral/bacterial examinations that were requested by the patient's physician when the specimen was sent to the ICGES. Eight positive PeV-A infections (4%) were detected for the 200 subjects, in gastrointestinal samples. Human Parechovirus PeV-A was detected and genetically characterized for the first time in the Republic of Panama in samples from 2014 and 2015.