Sapovirus Infections in an Australian Community-Based Healthy Birth Cohort During the First 2 Years of Life

Abstract

Background Sapovirus is an important cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in young children. However, knowledge gaps remain in community settings. We investigated the epidemiology, disease characteristics and healthcare use associated with sapovirus infections in Australian children during their first 2-years of life. Methods Children in the Brisbane-based Observational Research in Childhood Infectious Diseases birth cohort provided daily gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting/loose stools), weekly stool swabs, and healthcare data until age 2-years. Swabs were batch-tested for sapovirus using real-time polymerase chain reaction assays. Incidence rates and estimates of associations were calculated. Results Overall, 158 children returned 11,124 swabs. There were 192 sapovirus infection episodes. The incidence rate (IR) in the first 2-years of life was 0.89 episodes per child-year (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76–1.05), the symptomatic IR was 0.26 episodes per child-year (95%CI 0.17–0.37). Age ≥6-months, the fall season and childcare attendance, increased disease incidence significantly. Fifty-four (30%) of the 180 infections with linked symptom diaries were symptomatic, with 72% recording vomiting and 48% diarrhea. Prior infection reduced risk of further infections (adjusted hazard risk 0.70; 95%CI 0.54–0.81) in the study period. Viral loads were higher and viral shedding duration was longer in symptomatic than asymptomatic children. Twenty-three (43%) symptomatic episodes required healthcare, including six emergency department presentations and two hospitalizations. Conclusion Sapovirus infections are common in Australian children aged 6–23 months. Efforts to reduce childhood AGE after the global rollout of rotavirus vaccines should include sapovirus where estimates of its incidence in communities will be crucial.

Common and Potential Emerging Foodborne Viruses: A Comprehensive Review

“…However, sapovirus causes a lower number of foodborne outbreaks and illnesses [106,107]. Occasionally, the symptoms of sapovirus infection are followed by dehydration, malnutrition, secondary infection, and finally hospitalization in severe cases, particularly among infants, young children, and immunocompromised individuals [108,109]. The general and clinical characteristics of sapoviruses are presented in Table 1.…”