A new EMCV strain (named JZ1202) was isolated from semi-captive wild boar in Central China for the first time.

The EMCV isolate JZ1202 is pathogenic to mice and causing encephalitis and death.

Bioinformatic analysis indicated that JZ1202 was 81.3–99.9% identical with isolates worldwide, and belonged to lineage 1.

The study expends the species range for fatal EMCV infection, providing new epidemiologic data on EMCV in China.