Human caliciviruses are a significant pathogen of acute sporadic diarrhea in children of Santiago, Chile.
Human caliciviruses (HuCVs) are increasingly recognized as common pathogens that cause acute sporadic diarrhea in children; however, regional antigenic and genetic diversity complicate detection techniques. Stool samples from children seeking medical attention in 2 outpatient clinics, a large emergency department, and 2 hospital wards were evaluated for HuCVs by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, using primers based on a conserved sequence of the polymerase region of a previously sequenced Chilean strain. HuCVs were detected in 53 (8%) of 684 children 1 month to 5 years of age (mean, 13 months). Detection occurred year-round without a clear seasonal peak, and detection frequency declined from 16% in 1997 to 2% in 1999. The decline may have been due to a change in virus genotype. HuCVs are a significant pathogen of acute sporadic diarrhea in Chilean children, and continuous characterization of genetic diversity will be crucial for appropriate detection.
O'Ryan
M L
ML
Microbiology Program, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Campus Oriente, Universidad de Chile, Condell 303, Santiago, Chile. moryan@machi.med.uchile.cl
Mamani
N
N
Gaggero
A
A
Avendaño
L F
LF
Prieto
S
S
Peña
A
A
Jiang
X
X
Matson
D O
DO
D000208:Acute Disease; D002139:Caliciviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000821:virology*; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D013997:Time Factors