Objective To acknowledge the
epidemiology of
gastroenteritis outbreaks caused by norobiruses and their
genotypes.
Methods Epidemiologic data and specimens were collected from 19
gastroenteritis outbreaks. 201 specimens were detected for
norovirus,
rotavirus, astrovirus,
adenovirus and
sapovirus by RT-PCR
methods and
PCR products were sequenced.
Sequence alignment and
phylogenetic analysis were performed by Clustal X 1.83 and MEGA 4.0 programs.Results
Noroviruses were one of the most predominant pathogens causing viral
gastroenteritis outbreaks ( 12 of 19
outbreaks,
accounting for 63.2% ). Variant G Ⅱ -4/2006b was the predominant
strain responsible for 11 of the 12 NV-associated
outbreaks. Other
genotypes would include G Ⅱ -17,G Ⅱ -6 and G Ⅱ -3. The NV-associated gastrocnteritis
outbreaks occurred mainly in winter and spring between December 2006 and April 2007. These
gastroenteritis outbreaks caused by
noroviruses would involve all
age groups in various locations. Meantime, 2 out of 12
outbreaks were caused by
norovirus or other
viruses. In addition, multiple
viruses and multiple
genotypes of
noroviruses were found in the same outbreak. Conclusion
Noroviruses were one of the most major pathogens causing
gastroenteritis outbreaks while G Ⅱ -4/2006b variant was identified as the predominant
strain in
China.