Significantly Longer Shedding of Norovirus Compared to Rotavirus and Adenovirus in Children with Acute

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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

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

17.3K

Yuanyuan Qiu1, Stephen B Freedman2, Sarah Williamson-Urquhart3

  • 1Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada.

Viruses
|July 29, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus cause acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children. While rotavirus and adenovirus show higher initial viral loads, norovirus sheds for a longer duration in pediatric AGE cases.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Virology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a significant global health concern for children under five.
  • Viral pathogens, including norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus, are primary etiologies of pediatric AGE.
  • Understanding viral shedding dynamics is crucial for managing pediatric AGE.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the viral load and shedding duration of norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus in children with AGE.
  • To analyze viral shedding patterns in stool samples collected at multiple time points post-enrollment.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study involving 173 children with AGE presenting to emergency departments.
  • Quantitative RT-qPCR used to measure viral loads in stool samples.
  • Stool samples collected on Day 0, Day 5, and Day 28 post-enrollment.

Main Results:

  • Initial viral loads on Day 0 were lower for norovirus compared to rotavirus and adenovirus (p < 0.001).
  • Norovirus viral loads were higher than adenovirus and rotavirus on Days 5 and 28 (p < 0.05).
  • On Day 28, norovirus was detected in 70% of children, significantly higher than rotavirus (52.4%) and adenovirus (13.6%) (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Rotavirus and adenovirus exhibit higher initial viral loads in pediatric AGE.
  • Norovirus demonstrates prolonged shedding in stool samples, persisting for up to 28 days.
  • These findings highlight distinct shedding patterns of common viral AGE pathogens in children.

Keywords:
acute gastroenteritisadenoviruschildrenfecal sheddingnorovirusrotavirusviral load

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