Molecular epidemiology of genogroup II norovirus infection among hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in Suzhou (Jiangsu, China) from 2010 to 2013

Abstract

Noroviruses (NoVs) are the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in both sporadic and outbreak cases. Genotyping and recombination analyses were performed in order to help getting more knowledge of the distribution and genetic diversity of NoVs in Suzhou, located in Jiangsu province of China. All stool samples were collected from hospitalized children younger than 5 years old with acute gastroenteritis. For genotyping, the open reading frame (ORF) 1 and ORF2 were partially amplified and sequenced. 26.9% of stool samples were positive for genogroup II NoVs. The most common genotype was GII.4 and its variants included Den Haag-2006b, New Orleans-2009, and Sydney-2012. The Den Haag-2006b variants predominated during 2010-2012. In 2013, it was replaced by the Sydney-2012 variant. The second most common genotype was GII.12/GII.3. NoVs could be detected throughout the year, with GII.4 and GII.12/GII.3 coexisting during the cold months, and GII.4 was the main genotype during the warm months. The highest prevalence of NoV was detected in young children aged <24 months. Patients infected with GII.4 had a higher chance of getting moderate fever than other NoV-positive patients, while those infected with GII.12/GII.3 tended to have a mild degree of fever. NoV is an important pathogen responsible for viral gastroenteritis among children in Suzhou. Analyses of NoV circulating between 2010 and 2013 revealed a change of predominant variant of NoV GII.4 in each epidemic season and intergenotype recombinant strains represented an important part.

Genetic Diversity and Epidemiology of Norovirus in Children with acute sporadic gastroenteritis in Shanghai, China, 2012-2017

“…Based on those references, we speculated that GII.Pe, first detected in the norovirus outbreak of 2008 in Victoria, Australia, obviously replaced GII.P4 as the leading RdRp genotype in children with sporadic gastroenteritis in Shanghai since 2013 [31]. However, no GII.Pe was detected in Suzhou (China) and western China in 2013 [17,32]. It should be paid close attention on the spread of this type in China in future.…”

Genetic Diversity and Epidemiology of Genogroup II Noroviruses in Children with Acute Sporadic Gastroenteritis in Shanghai, China, 2012-2017

“…The reason for this different susceptibility to infection between diverse age groups is still unclear, and further studies need to be conducted to explore the mechanism of this difference. [17,32,38,40,42].…”

Experimental miniature piglet model for the infection of human norovirus GII

“…The genotype of strain CAU140599 was determined to be that of the NoV GII.12/GII.3 recombinant strain by sequence analysis. The NoV GII.12/GII.3 recombinant strain was predominant genotype in Asian countries between 2006 and 2013 . For the preparation of NoV stock, NoV stool was diluted in serum‐free Dulbecco's minimum essential medium (DMEM) at a 1:10 ratio.…”

“…The NoV GII.12/GII.3 recombinant strain was predominant genotype in Asian countries between 2006 and 2013. 19,20 For the preparation of NoV stock, NoV stool was diluted in serum-free Dulbecco's minimum essential medium (DMEM) at a 1:10 ratio. After centrifuging at 1000g for 20 min in a benchtop centrifuge, the supernatant of the homogenized solution was transferred and serially filtered with 5-, 1.2-, 0.8-, and 0.45-μm pore size membrane filters.…”