Comparison between patients with norovirus‐related gastroenteritis and asymptomatic carriers with respect to distribution of antibody‐complexed viral particles and intestinal flora

Abstract

Asymptomatic carriers have a major influence on the spreading of norovirus infections. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics of patients and asymptomatic carriers affected by norovirus-related community gastroenteritis outbreaks. No significant difference between the two groups was observed in terms of the number of norovirus-antibody complexes with respect to total numbers. Principal coordinates analysis of the intestinal flora based on β-diversity analysis, revealed a different bacterial composition between patients and asymptomatic carriers, particularly regarding the genera Pseudomonas, Bacteroides, and Erwinia, as well as the Ruminococcaceae family. Although the proportional changes between these intestinal microorganisms were not sufficient to explain gastroenteritis symptoms, they represent possible markers shared by asymptomatic norovirus carriers.

Eleven faces of coronavirus disease 2019

“…Asymptomatic but infective status has been reported in many viruses, such as respiratory, hepatitis, and diarrhea viruses, as well as in other major human viruses, such as cytomegalovirus or herpes viruses. [18][19][20] In a recent COVID-19 study, the viral load in upper respiratory specimens of asymptomatic patients was found in similar levels to that of symptomatic patients, suggesting a similar transmission potential of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients. 21 In a large-scale epidemiological survey of all COVID-19 cases through February 11, 2020, reported by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, including 72,314 laboratory-confirmed cases, 889 (1.2%) asymptomatic cases were noted.…”

“…In addition, there were no respiratory symptoms, such as cough, suggesting a low‐level mucosal irritation. Asymptomatic but infective status has been reported in many viruses, such as respiratory, hepatitis, and diarrhea viruses, as well as in other major human viruses, such as cytomegalovirus or herpes viruses 18‐20 . In a recent COVID‐19 study, the viral load in upper respiratory specimens of asymptomatic patients was found in similar levels to that of symptomatic patients, suggesting a similar transmission potential of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients 21 .…”

Unraveling the interplay between norovirus infection, gut microbiota, and novel antiviral approaches: a comprehensive review

“…Genes enriched in the microbiomes of symptomatic subjects, such as the adenylyltransferase glgC, were associated with glycan metabolism and cell-cell signaling (Patin et al, 2020). Another study comparing symptomatic individuals with asymptomatic carriers found that the Pseudomonas genus was dominant in symptomatic groups, while Bacteroides, Erwinia, Agrobacterium genera, and Ruminococcaceae family were dominant in asymptomatic carriers (Mori et al, 2018). Studies on murine norovirus showed that malnutrition and murine norovirus infection could heavily influence the gut microbial composition, especially a decreased Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio was observed (Hickman et al, 2014).…”

Gut Susceptibility to Viral Invasion: Contributing Roles of Diet, Microbiota and Enteric Nervous System to Mucosal Barrier Preservation

“…In vitro studies suggest that viral genetic recombination can be facilitated by commensal bacteria acting as a reservoir for genetic material derived from multiple viruses [ 53 ]. Clinical evidence that point to (but do not discriminate between) the above mechanisms include the following: (1) the gut bacterial composition of patients affected by norovirus-related gastroenteritis was different from the one reported for asymptomatic norovirus carriers [ 54 ]; (2) a group of elderly residents from a health care facility who ingested a probiotic drink daily during at least two months displayed significantly less persistent fever upon winter season infection with norovirus, compared to elderly patients who did not ingest the probiotic bacteria [ 55 ]. The probiotic drink, containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota, was later shown to decrease the risk of infection, as well as the cell numbers of noxious bacteria including Clostridium difficile in elderly patients [ 56 ]; (3) children affected by gastroenteritis associated with viral-bacterial mixed infections had a significantly higher disease severity score than those children experiencing virus-only infection [ 57 ].…”