title: Norovirus detection from sera of young children with acute norovirus gastroenteritis.
abstract: Antigenemia and viremia are common in rotavirus infection but only few studies have shown norovirus (NoV) RNA in the blood circulation.
  
  
  
  To detect NoV RNA from serum of NoV-infected children and study if NoV RNAemia correlates with clinical severity of acute gastroenteritis.
  
  
  
  Serum specimens were collected from 176 Finnish children with acute NoV gastroenteritis. Semi-nested PCR was optimized to detect NoV capsid RNA from sera. NoV positive samples were further analyzed by sequencing.
  
  
  
  NoV RNA was found in 11/176 (6.3%) of serum specimens. NoV GII.4 was found in 8 cases and GII.3, GII.6 and GII.7 in one case each. The genotypes detected in serum were identical to findings in stools in all cases. Most of the NoV RNA detections in serum were in young children less than 18 months of age. The clinical features of NoV serum-positive cases were not different from NoV serum-negative cases.
  
  
  
  NoV RNA in serum is an uncommon finding limited to young children.
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Biokatu 10, 33520 Tampere, Finland. Electronic address: leena.huhti@uta.fi.
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huhti
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Biokatu 10, 33520 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hemming-Harlo
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Biokatu 10, 33520 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vesikari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D029322:Norovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D044967:Serum / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Children; Gastroenteritis; Norovirus; RNAemia