Genetic diversity and molecular evolution of human adenovirus serotype 41 strains circulating in Beijing, China, during 2010–2019

Human adenovirus serotype 41 (HAdV-F41) is an important pathogen that causes diarrhea in children. However, the data on its molecular genetic characteristics and evolutionary history are still neither comprehensive nor sufficient. Four capsid protein genes from 58 HAdV-F41-positive specimens taken from diarrheal children in Beijing during 2010–2019 were amplified and analyzed. Variant amino acids in the hexon gene (18 sites) and short fiber gene (4 sites) clustered these strains into two clades and four subclades. The deletion of 15 amino acids found in the gene seemed to have little effect on the genomic strain cluster same as to penton gene. The HAdV-F41 strains had high diversity, as assessed from the intraspecific recombination of hexon, short fiber and long fiber. The molecular evolutionary rate of HAdV-F41's concatenated genes was 4.07 × 10−5 substitutions/site/year, and it diverged from the most recent common ancestor in 1720. Apart from in the penton gene, positive selection codons were predicted in the other three genes, which may play a synergistic role in the evolution of HAdV-F41. These results provide new insights for understanding the characteristics of infectivity and developing vectors and vaccine vehicles for HAdV-F41. •High diversity in the HAdV-41 strains circulating in Beijing.•Amino acid substitutions were mainly located on the hexon and short fiber genes.•Two types of the 15 amino acid deletions displayed in the shaft of long fiber.•The molecular evolutionary rate of HAdV-41 was 4.07 × 10−5 substitutions/site/year.•HAdV-41 diverged from the most recent common ancestor in 1720.