title: [Molecular epidemiological study of human calicivirus infection in diarrhea children in autumn and winter at a hospital in Guangzhou].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the epidemiological features of human calicivirus( HuCV) infection in children with diarrhea in a hospital in Guangzhou.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stool specimens were collected from children with viral diarrhea diagnosed between October, 2003 and January, 2004 and between October, 2004 and January, 2005. HuCV was detected by means of RT-PCR and sequence analysis of the PCR products.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty specimens positive for Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs) were identified from 648 stool specimens, with a positivity rate of 12.35%, and sapporo-like viruses (SLVs) were identified in 2 specimens (0.31%). The monthly NLV positivity rate was 11.74% (Oct.), 14.16% (Nov.), 9. 09% (Dec.) and 13.95% (Jan.), respectively, showing no significant variation in these months. NLVs mainly infected children below 2 years old. Twenty-two strains of NLVs were sequenced and analyzed, and 21 of them were identified as GII and the genotype of 1 strain could not be determined. The prevalent viral population were GII-3 and GII-4 in 2003 and was GII-4 in 2004, and both of the SLVs belong to GI-1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NLVs is one of the important pathogens causing sporadic acute gastroenteritis in children admitted in the hospital in Guangzhou, and the prevalent strains are GII-3 and GII-4 , but different prevalent strains are possible in different periods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. zhanhuichun@126.com
authors.forename: Hui-chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ya-li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ying-chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Jian-dong
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shou-yi
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D002139:Caliciviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology / Q000379:methods; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009663:Norwalk virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012621:Seasons; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral