title: [Norovirus gastroenteritis: frequent, often epidemic, with potentially severe complications].
abstract: Norovirus are the most frequent causes of epidemic gastroenteritis. Infections generally resolve spontaneously, but may lead to severe complications including death, or become chronic in immunocompromised hosts. Complications preferentially occur in immunocompromised hosts and their consequences are sometimes severe in vulnerable individuals living in confined spaces, such as healthcare settings. Norovirus have a high capacity to mutate. This and their capacity to persist in the water and on everyday objects of our surroundings favor the occurrence of epidemics. As a vaccination protective against most relevant strains is currently not available and in view of their high contagiousness, the prevention and control of the norovirus gastroenteritis remains a major clinical challenge.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine, Hôpital neuchâtelois--La Chaux-de-Fonds 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds. francois.kundig@ne.ch
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kundig
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chevalley
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Genné
mesh_terms: D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D018450:Disease Progression; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D029322:Norovirus; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index