title: Characterization of an astrovirus genotype 2 strain causing an extensive outbreak of gastroenteritis among Maxakali Indians, Southeast Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human astroviruses (HAstVs) are a common cause of sporadic diarrhea in children but large outbreaks occur in children's day care centers, schools and in homes for the elderly.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report a large outbreak of acute gastroenteritis that occurred in January 2004 among Indians from the Maxakali Reserve in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fecal samples from 46 Maxakali patients were collected and tested for a range of enteric pathogens. HAstVs was detected by EIA and strains were confirmed by RT-PCR and typed by direct sequencing. Clinical information was collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The illness which affected more than 100 children under 6 years of age was characterized by watery diarrhea, fever and vomiting. HAstV-2 was the sole enteropathogen detected in 26 (56%) of 46 samples analyzed by EIA and/or RT-PCR. The 17 positive samples sequenced were identical in a 348bp region used for phylogenetic analysis and were classified as genotype 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first description of an outbreak of HAstV-2 gastroenteritis in a population of Brazilian Indians. The magnitude of the outbreak and the severity of the disease underscore the need to better understand the epidemiology of astrovirus and other enteric agents in these populations.
authors.affiliation: Seção de Virologia, Instituto Evandro Chagas, Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde, Ministério da Saúde, Belém, Pará, Brazil. yvonegabbay@iec.pa.gov.br
authors.forename: Yvone Benchimol
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Gabbay
authors.forename: Chequer Buffe
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Chamone
authors.forename: Liliany Satiko
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Darleise Souza
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Simone Faria de
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Abreu
authors.forename: Elielma Lira
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Cavalcante-Pepino
authors.forename: Joana D'Arc Pereira
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Mascarenhas
authors.forename: José Paulo Gagliardi
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.forename: Alexandre Costa
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Linhares
mesh_terms: D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000821:virology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000821:virology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral