title: Detection and characterization of human caliciviruses in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in Blantyre, Malawi.
abstract: The human caliciviruses (HuCVs), including Norovirus and Sapovirus, are recognized causes of acute gastroenteritis in children and adults. A 1-year study was undertaken in Blantyre, Malawi, to examine the prevalence, and genetic diversity, of human caliciviruses (HuCVs) amongst children under 5 years of age hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. Using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), combined with nucleotide sequencing of the RT-PCR products, HuCVs were detected in 34/398 (8.5%) of children. Twelve (35.3%) of the children were co-infected with additional enteric viruses (predominantly rotavirus). The HuCVs comprised 26 Noroviruses (6.5%) and 8 Sapoviruses (2.0%). Each of the Noroviruses belonged to genogroup II, and could be further classified into six genotypes, including GII/3 (18 strains), GII/4 (2 strains), GII/11 (1 strain), GII/13 (1 strain), GII/16 (2 strains), and a putative new genotype GII/20 (2 strains). Each of the Sapoviruses belonged to genogroup GIII. HuCVs are the second most commonly identified viral enteropathogens (after rotavirus) among hospitalized children with gastroenteritis in Malawi.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Genito-Urinary Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Winifred
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dove
authors.forename: Nigel A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Cunliffe
authors.forename: Jailosi S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Gondwe
authors.forename: Robin L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Broadhead
authors.forename: Malcolm E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Molyneux
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nakagomi
authors.forename: C Anthony
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002139:Caliciviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008295:Malawi / Q000453:epidemiology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA