title: Etiologic agents of acute gastroenteritis among Japanese infants and children: virus diversity and genetic analysis of sapovirus.
abstract: A total of 371 fecal specimens from infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in Maizuru, Tokyo and Osaka, Japan from July 2002 to June 2003 were tested for the presence of diarrheal viruses by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), reverse passive hemagglutination (PRHA), RNA-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), latex agglutination and sequence analysis methods. Among diarrheal viruses detected, group A rotavirus was the most prevalent (42.2%) followed by norovirus (28.9%), group C rotavirus (8.4%), sapovirus (6.7%), adenovirus (5.3%) and astrovirus (0.9%), respectively. There was the high rate (7.6%) of viral mixed infections. Sapovirus was classified into 6 genotypes (GI/1, GI/4, GI/5, GI/6 and GII/1 and one novel tentatively called GII/5). It is noteworthy that genogroup II sapovirus can be classified into 5 genotypes. Our findings confirmed the presence of many diarrheal viruses co-circulating among Japanese infants and children and showed the great genetic diversity among sapoviruses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Medical Sciences, Institute of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Phan
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okitsu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ushijima
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry / Q000821:virology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000821:virology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D029341:Sapovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification