Noroviruses are highly diverse viruses that are the major viral cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans. Although these viruses can infect multiple mammalian species, their potential for zoonosis is not well understood, especially within Genogroup IV (GIV), which contains viruses that infect humans, canines, and felines. The study of GIV viruses has been, in part, hindered by the limited number of complete genomes. Here, we developed a full-genome amplicon-based platform that facilitated the sequencing of canine noroviruses circulating in the United States. Eight novel nearly full-length canine norovirus genomes and two nearly complete VP1 sequences, including four GIV.2, three GVI.1, and three GVI.2 viruses, were successfully obtained. Only animal strains exhibited GVI/GIV chimeric viruses, demonstrating restrictions in norovirus recombination. Using genomic, phylogenetic, and structural analyses, we show that differences within the major capsid protein and the non-structural proteins of GIV and GVI noroviruses could potentially limit cross-species transmission between humans, canines, and felines.

The ability of coronaviruses to adapt to new hosts and cause widespread disease outbreaks poses a significant threat to global public health systems and economies. The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of studying coronaviruses and monitoring them in communities. We investigated SARS-CoV-2 and its genomic changes in wastewater influent sampled from two metropolitan areas in Arkansas, USA, between April 2020 and March 2024. The data presented here are a follow up report to our previous publication on the findings from the period of April 2020 to January 2022 and show the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating between February 2022 and March 2024. The levels of viral RNA were measured by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and targeted three SARS-CoV-2 genes (encoding ORF1ab polyprotein, ORF1ab; surface glycoprotein, S-protein; and nucleocapsid phosphoprotein, N-protein). The identity and genetic diversity of the virus were investigated using amplicon-based RNA sequencing. These data provide important information on SARS-CoV-2 evolution and help to understand the occurrence of COVID-19 outbreaks in the community.