Human parechoviruses (HPeVs) are widespread pathogens belonging to the Picornavirus family. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence and genetic diversity of HPeV in Shanghai, China, during a HPeV screening program in 2008 and 2009. Of 300 stool samples from children under the age of 5 years with acute diarrhea seen at Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, 165 (55%) were HPeV-positive. The median age of infected children was 3 months. The prevalence of HPeV was high (57%) in infants up to 2 years old but dropped to 30.4% in children between 2 and 5 years old. The prevalence did not differ by sex. Infections were present throughout the year but peaked in July and August. The most predominant genotype was HPeV1. Of the 139 strains, 4 were found in 9 samples: HPeV4 (n = 4), HPeV5 (n = 1), HPeV6 (n = 1), and HPeV8 (n= 3). This study provided useful data on the epidemiology of HPeV infection by documenting the distribution of genotypes, age of infection, and seasonal patterns in Shanghai, China.

Norovirus is one of the major causes of outbreaks and sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. Obtaining local baseline information regarding this virus is important for developing and evaluating prevention strategies of norovirus transmission in children. The age, seasonal distribution and circulating genotypes of norovirus in Shanghai, China, between 2001 and 2005 were determined. Of 5411 stool specimens collected from children under 5 years of age who were hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis 3,975 were rotavirus-negative, indicating the presence of another causative agent. From these specimens, 484 were selected at random for genotyping, and 45 were norovirus-positive. Norovirus infection was detected in all age groups, but infants less than 6 months old showed the lowest prevalence (5.4%). Norovirus infections peaked from August to November. Among the 37 identified norovirus strains, 2 were GII-3, 2 were GII-7, and 33 were GII-4 genotypes. This study demonstrated the impact of norovirus infection causing acute gastroenteritis in hospitalized children and the importance of vaccination against norovirus diarrhea in Shanghai, China.

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