[Detection of Norwalk and Mexico viruses, two human Caliciviruses in stools of Chilean children].
BACKGROUND
Human calciviruses (HuCVs) cause diarrhea outbreaks associated with consumption of contaminated food and water. Seroepidemiological studies in developing countries, suggest that HuCVs can cause acute gastroenteritis in children.


OBJECTIVE
To study the presence of Norwalk (NV) and Mexico (MX) virus, two HuCVs, in stools of Chilean children from different settings.


METHODS
ELISA tests for NV and MX were performed in 677 stool samples for children aged 0 to 132 years old, with acute diarrhea occurring in day care centers or consulting in outpatient clinics or emergency rooms. We also studied eight samples from children involved in a diarrhea outbreak that occurred in a rural community in 1992. A subset of samples was tested with polymerase chain reactions using different primers.


RESULTS
Only one sample from a child with acute diarrhea occurring in a day care center was positive for HuCV by polymerase chain reaction. Three samples from the outbreak were positive by the latter method and by ELISA. The HuCV obtained from the day care center was genetically different from other known HuCV.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the high seroprevalence, NV and MX viruses were detected in a very low proportion of Chilean children stools.
O'Ryan
M
M
Programa de Microbiología, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile. moryan@machi.med.uchile.cl
Salinas
A M
AM
Mamani
N
N
Matson
D O
DO
Jiang
X
X
Vial
P
P
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D002139:Caliciviridae / Q000235:genetics; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009663:Norwalk virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*
Detección de virus Norwalk y México, dos calicivirus humanos en deposiciones de niños chilenos.