| Summary: | Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a major public health concern contributing to over 2.5 million
annual deaths globally. Sapovirus infection cases have gained prominence in recent outbreaks of
gastroenteritis. Given the absence of targeted therapies or vaccines against this virus,
understanding its molecular evolution and host adaptation is crucial. In this study, we analyzed
98 complete Sapovirus genomes to investigate nucleotide composition, codon usage bias, and
adaptation to the human host. Our results revealed notable codon preferences and a codon bias
moderated by both host selection pressure and compositional constraint. Dinucleotide analysis
showed over-representation of UpG and CpA, and under-representation of immunogenic motifs
like CpG and UpA. The findings of this study underscore the evolutionary pressures shaping
Sapovirus genomes and provide a basis for codon profiling for future studies to use in the
development of synthetic attenuated vaccines using SAVE technology.
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