Gastroenterology and Hepatology from Bed to Bench

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and genotype of human caliciviruses among children suffering from acute gastroenteritis referred to Masih Daneshvari Hospital.

Background: Human caliciviruses have been recognized as the major viral cause of acute gastroenteritis in all age groups worldwide. Studies revealed that the noroviruses and sapoviruses could be divided into five genogroups.

Patients and methods: A total of 47 fecal samples were collected from children up to 17 years of age, with acute gastroenteritis from 2006 to 2008. RT nested- PCR was performed for screening. To genotype the norovirus and sapovirus isolates, some positive samples were subjected to phylogenetic analysis by sequencing of fragments of viral capsid gene region.

Results: The noroviruses and sapoviruses were detected in 21.3% and 2.1% of samples, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that isolates belong to genotype GII.4 and GII.3. The sole isolate of sapovirus belongs to GI/2 genogroup.

Conclusion: Our results show that calciviruses are indeed a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in children.