title: Genetic analysis of norovirus in children affected with acute gastroenteritis in Beijing, 2004-2007.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Noroviruses (NoVs) are a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in children, but prevalence and circulation of NoVs in China have not been well characterized.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the dominant circulating NoV genotypes and strains associated with pediatric cases of acute gastroenteritis in Beijing, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fecal samples were obtained from 1126 children affected with acute gastroenteritis in Beijing from March 2004 to November 2007. NoV RNA was amplified, sequenced, and phylogenetically analyzed to determine the dominant circulating genotypes and strains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NoVs were detected in 8.88% of patients, GII.4 being the dominant genotype. Ehime/05-30 was the dominant strain during 2004-2005, whereas 2006b dominated during 2006-2007. The homology of nucleotide and amino acid sequences among full-length VP1 of 15 randomly selected NoV strains was 91.6-99.6% and 94.5-99.6%, respectively. Recombination between NoV genotypes was frequent among the isolates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The predominant circulating genotype of NoV infections in Beijing is GII.4, but the dominant strains of this virus responsible for gastroenteritis epidemics are evolving rapidly. A global surveillance network may be needed to identify trends in molecular evolution of NoVs for prevention of future epidemics.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100052, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jingdong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Xiwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hongli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Jianwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D029322:Norovirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral