title: Detection of Norwalk virus or Norwalk-like virus infections in Finnish infants and young children.
abstract: Norwalk virus (NV) and Norwalk-like viruses are important causes of epidemic nonbacterial gastroenteritis in older children and adults. Serologic responses to NV of 154 Finnish infants and young children participating in a rotavirus vaccine study were examined by ELISA with a recently available baculovirus-expressed recombinant NV capsid protein. In 4 serially collected sera (at the median ages of 3, 4, 14, and 23 months), 49% of children had at least one NV infection over the approximately 2-year study period. Children with low NV-specific IgG titers (< 1:50) at the median age of 4 or 14 months were significantly more likely to acquire an NV infection by the median age of 14 or 23 months, respectively, than children who had higher NV IgG titers (> 1:50) (P < .05). Thus, NV or Norwalk-like virus infections are more common in infants and young children than previously believed, and antibody to NV may be protective against such infections.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lew
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valdesuso
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vesikari
authors.forename: A Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Kapikian
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Estes
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009663:Norwalk virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A