Significant prevalence and genetic diversity of norovirus infection in Irish children

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Detection and Genogrouping of Noroviruses from Children's Stools By Taqman One-step RT-PCR
15:16

Detection and Genogrouping of Noroviruses from Children's Stools By Taqman One-step RT-PCR

Published on: July 22, 2012

Allison Waters1, Linda Dunford, Gráinne Tuite

  • 1National Virus Reference Laboratory, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland. allison.waters@ucd.ie

Pediatric Research
|April 17, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Norovirus (NoV) strains differ significantly between children and adults in Ireland. NoV is a major cause of gastroenteritis in children under five, alongside adenovirus.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Pediatrics
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Pediatric gastroenteritis represents a significant health burden globally.
  • National surveillance in Ireland combines virological and epidemiological data for gastroenteritis.
  • Norovirus (NoV) is a common cause of viral gastroenteritis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize norovirus (NoV) genotypes in children under five years old in Ireland.
  • To compare pediatric NoV strains with those found in adult infections.
  • To determine the prevalence of NoV, rotavirus, and adenovirus in hospitalized children.

Main Methods:

  • Genotyping of norovirus (NoV) strains from pediatric and adult specimens.
  • Epidemiological analysis of gastroenteritis surveillance data.
  • Prevalence determination of viral agents in hospitalized children.

Main Results:

  • Five distinct NoV genotypes (GII/2, GII/4, GII/6, GII/b, GII/14) were identified in Irish children, while only GII/4 was found in adults.
  • Significant genotypic differences in NoV strains were observed between pediatric and adult populations.
  • NoV and adenovirus were found to be equally significant causes of gastroenteritis in children under five, with NoV being a major cause in children over four months old.

Conclusions:

  • Norovirus (NoV) is a significant pathogen in pediatric gastroenteritis in Ireland, with distinct genotypes circulating in children compared to adults.
  • Adenovirus is also a major contributor to pediatric gastroenteritis.
  • The study questions the efficacy of Kaplan criteria for diagnosing pediatric enteric infection outbreaks.
Abstract

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