Full-genome analysis of emerging Coxsackievirus B4 genotype D strains associated with herpangina in eastern China

TL;DR

New Coxsackievirus B4 strains in China are genetically linked to European strains, suggesting recent global transmission and the need for surveillance.

Contribution

Identification of genotype D Coxsackievirus B4 strains in China with European genetic origins and evidence of intertypic recombination.

Findings

Z168 and Z296 strains clustered closely with European genotype D strains but were distinct from earlier Chinese isolates.

Bayesian phylogeography revealed complex global transmission patterns of Coxsackievirus B4 across continents.

The strains showed a unique amino acid substitution in a neutralizing epitope, indicating antigenic evolution.

Abstract

In 2024 herpangina surveillance in Yuhuan City, China, two Coxsackievirus B4 strains (Z168, Z296) were identified. Full-length genome sequencing revealed that both strains belonged to genotype D that was first documented in eastern China. The two strains showed the highest nucleotide similarity to Coxsackievirus B4 strains isolated in the UK (2017). In the recombination events, both major parental strains were identified as Coxsackievirus B4 strains isolated in France (2015 and 2017). Echovirus 11 and Coxsackievirus B5 were detected as minor parental strains, indicating intertypic recombination. Phylogenetically, Z168 and Z296 clustered closely with European genotype D strains (2013–2024) but were distant from previously reported Chinese genotype D strains (Yunnan 2013–2016; Tianjin 2019). Bayesian phylogeographic reconstruction suggested a complex global transmission history of Coxsackievirus B4 with increasing cross-border transmission in recent decades, including genotypes A, D and E transmitting among North America, Europe and Asia. Both strains possessed a unique amino acid substitution within a putative neutralizing epitope, suggesting potential antigenic evolution. These findings indicate that the Z168 and Z296 strains likely represent a recent European introduction, forming a lineage distinct from earlier Chinese genotype D isolates. This highlights the need for molecular surveillance to track Coxsackievirus B4 emergence and evolution.

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