In the winter of 2014/15 a novel GII.P17-GII.17 norovirus strain (GII.17 Kawasaki 2014) emerged, as a major cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in China and Japan. Since their emergence these novel GII.P17-GII.17 viruses have replaced the previously dominant GII.4 genotype Sydney 2012 variant in some areas in Asia but were only detected in a limited number of cases on other continents. This perspective provides an overview of the available information on GII.17 viruses in order to gain insight in the viral and host characteristics of this norovirus genotype. We further discuss the emergence of this novel GII.P17-GII.17 norovirus in context of current knowledge on the epidemiology of noroviruses. It remains to be seen if the currently dominant norovirus strain GII.4 Sydney 2012 will be replaced in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, the public health community and surveillance systems need to be prepared in case of a potential increase of norovirus activity in the next seasons caused by this novel GII.P17-GII.17 norovirus

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European Union's Horizon 2020 grant COMPARE, ZonMw TOP grant, the Virgo Consortium funded by the Dutch Government, and the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund.

The vertical zonation of planktonic protozoa was studied in 2 Danish eutrophic fjords at localities with an anoxic layer of bottom-water. Three distinct assemblages of protozoa are found. The fully oxygenated surface waters harbour a typical ciliate-plankton assemblage dominated by tintinnids and other oligotrichs in addition to various gymnostome ciliates. Heterotrophic flagellates totally dominate as bacterivores. In the oxycline a quite different group of clliates occur; it 1s dominated by bacterivorous scuticociliates. Beneath the oxycline, in strictly anoxic and sulphide containing water, an assemblage of specialised anaerobic ciliates occurs. The high bacterial productivity in the oxycline is reflected by a biomass maximum of ciliates and to a lesser degree of heterotrophic flagellates. In anoxic microbial communities the biomass ratio between phagotrophs and their prey is much lower than in aerobic communities due to the low net growth efficiency of anaerobic eukaryotes The potential significance of methane production by methanogenic symbionts of anaerobic protozoa is discussed.

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