BACKGROUND Noroviruses are responsible for at least 50% of all gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. Noroviruses GII can infect humans via multiple routes including direct contact with an infected person, fecal matter, or vomitus, and contact with contaminated surfaces. Although norovirus is an intestinal pathogen, aerosols could, if inhaled, settle in the pharynx and later be swallowed. The aim...

Little is known about the immune response to noroviruses. To elucidate the immunobiology of norovirus infection in humans, 15 volunteers were challenged with Snow Mountain virus (SMV), a genogroup 2 norovirus. We assessed the cellular and humoral immune response and infection by analyzing stool, serum, saliva, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) responses pre- and postchallenge. In con...

BACKGROUND Norovirus is increasingly being recognized as a leading cause of foodborne disease. Nevertheless, well documented foodborne outbreaks due to norovirus are rarely found in the literature. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted for identifying the source of a gastroenteritis outbreak. A total of 325 persons were identified as the at risk group. RESULTS The ...

infected with non-GII.4 norovirus genotypes. However, AGE among unvaccinated rotavirus case-patients was more severe than among norovirus case-patients, and was characterized by higher fever and more frequent and severe diarrhea. This finding confirms findings in a study of children in Finland (7), although our study found no difference in frequency or severity of vomiting between patients with...

OBJECTIVE To study the molecular epidemiological characteristics of Norovirus gastroenteritis outbreaks in Zhejiang. METHODS During January 2006 and December 2007, fecal specimens of patients collected from outbreaks of acute viral gastroenteritis were tested for Norovirus. Epidemiological data were also collected. Noroviruses were detected by a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction...

To the editor: Since late 2012, Scotland has seen a significant increase in norovirus activity and the norovirus season began earlier than usual [1]. The article by van Beek et al. published in last week’s issue of Eurosurveillance described the emergence of a new variant of norovirus GII.4 (Sydney strain) in a number of countries [2]. To examine whether this was also the case in Scotland, we e...

An estimated 179 million acute gastroenteritis (AGE) illnesses occur annually in the United States. The role of noroviruses in hospital-related AGE has not been well-documented in the U. S. We estimated the population incidence of community- acquired outpatient and inpatient norovirus AGE encounters, as well as hospital-acquired inpatient norovirus AGE among inpatients at four Veterans Affairs ...

The performance of an assay to detect antibodies to a norovirus nonstructural fusion protein, designated VPR and consisting of three proteins (GI.1 virus protein genome-linked [VPg], a virus protease, and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase), was evaluated. The assay sensitivity and specificity were 74.5% and >95%, respectively, for identifying GI.1 norovirus infection among persons who received ei...

BACKGROUND Enteric viruses, particularly human rotavirus and norovirus, have been shown to replace bacteria and parasites, as the most common pathogens responsible for acute diarrhea. However, there are still few epidemiological data on the simultaneous occurrence of these viruses in Iran. In this regard, the aim of this study was to assess the useful epidemiological data on the gastroenteritis...

Since 1996, there have been at least six human norovirus pandemics. All of the pandemic strains are genetically related, segregating in the genogroup II, genotype 4 (GII.4) cluster within the Norovirus genus. Evidence indicates that these strains are closely related but antigenically distinct, supporting immune-driven viral evolution. Thus, norovirus vaccines will likely require periodic reform...