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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 2006, p. 177-182, Vol. 44, No. 1
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.44.1.177-182.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Virological, Serological, and Clinical Features of an Outbreak of Acute Gastroenteritis Due to Recombinant Genogroup II Norovirus in an Infant Home

Department of Pediatrics, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan,¹ Nakata Pediatric Clinic, Hokkaido, Japan,² Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Disease, Tokyo, Japan,³ Aichi Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Nagoya, Japan⁴

Received 30 May 2005/ Returned for modification 19 July 2005/ Accepted 24 October 2005

Norovirus (NV) is an important cause of acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Recently, several sporadic cases due to naturally occurring recombinant NVs have been reported. In January 2000, there was an outbreak of gastroenteritis in an infant home in Sapporo, Japan. Of 34 residents of the home that were less than 2 years old, 23 developed gastrointestinal symptoms and NV infection was confirmed by conventional reverse transcription-PCR to detect the RNA polymerase region of genogroup II NV. In this virus, the RNA polymerase region shared 86% nucleotide identity with Hawaii virus but only 77% with Mexico virus; however, its capsid region shared only 70% identity with Hawaii virus but 90% with Mexico virus. On the other hand, both regions shared a higher 96% nucleotide identity with Arg320 virus, which was found in Mendoza, Argentina, in 1995 and considered to be a recombinant of Hawaii and Mexico viruses. The findings indicate that the virus involved in the outbreak was similar and may have evolved from the Arg320 virus. Clinically the cases were more severe than those of previously reported sporadic or outbreak cases of NV infection.

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