Epidemiology and Molecular Characteristics of Norovirus GII.4 Sydney Outbreaks in Taiwan, January 2012-December 2013

Overview

Journal J Med Virol

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2015 May 7

PMID 25946552

Citations 10

Authors

Fang-Tzy Wu

Hsieh-Cheng Chen

Catherine Yen

Ching-Yi Wu

Kazuhiko Katayama

Youngbin Park

Aron J Hall

Jan Vinje

Jason C Huang

Ho-Sheng Wu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In 2012, a new norovirus GII.4 variant (GII.4 Sydney) emerged and caused the majority of the acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America. We examined the epidemiologic and molecular virologic characteristics of reported acute gastroenteritis outbreaks determined to be caused by norovirus in Taiwan from January 2012 to December 2013. A total of 253 (45.7%) of 552 reported acute gastroenteritis outbreaks tested positive for norovirus, of which 165 (65.5%) were typed as GII.4 Sydney. GII.4 Sydney outbreaks were reported from all geographic areas of Taiwan and occurred most frequently in schools (35.8%) and long-term care facilities (24.2%). Person-to-person transmission was identified in 116 (70.3%) of the outbreaks. Phylogenetic analyses of full-length ORF2 of eight specimens indicated that GII.4 Sydney strains detected in Taiwan were closely related to strains detected globally. Continued outbreak surveillance and strain typing are needed to provide information on epidemiologic and virologic trends of novel norovirus strains.

Citing Articles

Impact of rotavirus vaccination on rotavirus hospitalizations in Taiwanese children.

Burke R, Shih S, Hsiung C, Yen C, Jiang B, Parashar U Vaccine. 2021; 39(49):7135-7139.

PMID: 34785101 PMC: 9014808. DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.10.064.

Genotypic prevalence of norovirus GII in gastroenteritis outpatients in Shanghai from 2016 to 2018.

Kuang X, Teng Z, Zhang X Gut Pathog. 2019; 11:40.

PMID: 31372183 PMC: 6660925. DOI: 10.1186/s13099-019-0321-x.

Epidemiology of Norovirus Outbreaks Reported to the Public Health Emergency Event Surveillance System, China, 2014⁻2017.

Lian Y, Wu S, Luo L, Lv B, Liao Q, Li Z Viruses. 2019; 11(4).

PMID: 30979014 PMC: 6520956. DOI: 10.3390/v11040342.

Burden of Severe Norovirus Disease in Taiwan, 2003-2013.

Burke R, Shih S, Yen C, Huang Y, Parashar U, Lopman B Clin Infect Dis. 2018; 67(9):1373-1378.

PMID: 29878104 PMC: 6947910. DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciy298.

Ice-associated norovirus outbreak predominantly caused by GII.17 in Taiwan, 2015.

Cheng H, Hung M, Chen W, Lo Y, Su Y, Wei H BMC Public Health. 2017; 17(1):870.

PMID: 29116002 PMC: 5688813. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-017-4869-4.

References

Giammanco G, De Grazia S, Tummolo F, Bonura F, Calderaro A, Buonavoglia A . Norovirus GII.4/Sydney/2012 in Italy, winter 2012-2013. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013; 19(8):1348-9. PMC: 3739511. DOI: 10.3201/eid1908.130619. View

Fonager J, Hindbaek L, Fischer T . Rapid emergence and antigenic diversification of the norovirus 2012 Sydney variant in Denmark, October to December, 2012. Euro Surveill. 2013; 18(9). View

Ahmed S, Hall A, Robinson A, Verhoef L, Premkumar P, Parashar U . Global prevalence of norovirus in cases of gastroenteritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2014; 14(8):725-730. PMC: 8006533. DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(14)70767-4. View

Vinje J . Advances in laboratory methods for detection and typing of norovirus. J Clin Microbiol. 2014; 53(2):373-81. PMC: 4298492. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.01535-14. View

Bennett S, MacLean A, Miller R, Aitken C, Gunson R . Increased norovirus activity in Scotland in 2012 is associated with the emergence of a new norovirus GII.4 variant. Euro Surveill. 2013; 18(2). View

Chen S, Chiu C . Worldwide molecular epidemiology of norovirus infection. Paediatr Int Child Health. 2012; 32(3):128-31. DOI: 10.1179/2046905512Y.0000000031. View

Glass R, Parashar U, Estes M . Norovirus gastroenteritis. N Engl J Med. 2009; 361(18):1776-85. PMC: 3880795. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra0804575. View

Siebenga J, Vennema H, Zheng D, Vinje J, Lee B, Pang X . Norovirus illness is a global problem: emergence and spread of norovirus GII.4 variants, 2001-2007. J Infect Dis. 2009; 200(5):802-12. DOI: 10.1086/605127. View

Prasad B, Hardy M, Dokland T, Bella J, Rossmann M, Estes M . X-ray crystallographic structure of the Norwalk virus capsid. Science. 1999; 286(5438):287-90. DOI: 10.1126/science.286.5438.287. View

10.

Giammanco G, De Grazia S, Terio V, Lanave G, Catella C, Bonura F . Analysis of early strains of the norovirus pandemic variant GII.4 Sydney 2012 identifies mutations in adaptive sites of the capsid protein. Virology. 2014; 450-451:355-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2013.12.007. View

11.

Karst S, Wobus C, Goodfellow I, Green K, Virgin H . Advances in norovirus biology. Cell Host Microbe. 2014; 15(6):668-80. PMC: 4113907. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2014.05.015. View

12.

Rahman M, Nahar S, Afrad M, Faruque A, Azim T . Norovirus variant GII.4/Sydney/2012, Bangladesh. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013; 19(8):1347-8. PMC: 3739531. DOI: 10.3201/eid1908.130227. View

13.

Bull R, White P . Mechanisms of GII.4 norovirus evolution. Trends Microbiol. 2011; 19(5):233-40. DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2011.01.002. View

14.

Bruggink L, Dunbar N, Marshall J . Emergence of GII.e as a major ORF 1 norovirus genotype and its associated ORF 2 GII.4 variant forms. Infect Genet Evol. 2014; 22:157-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2014.01.025. View

15.

Hall A, Eisenbart V, Etingue A, Gould L, Lopman B, Parashar U . Epidemiology of foodborne norovirus outbreaks, United States, 2001-2008. Emerg Infect Dis. 2012; 18(10):1566-73. PMC: 3471645. DOI: 10.3201/eid1810.120833. View

16.

Hall A, Wikswo M, Manikonda K, Roberts V, Yoder J, Gould L . Acute gastroenteritis surveillance through the National Outbreak Reporting System, United States. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013; 19(8):1305-9. PMC: 3739540. DOI: 10.3201/eid1908.130482. View

17.

Thongprachum A, Chan-It W, Khamrin P, Saparpakorn P, Okitsu S, Takanashi S . Molecular epidemiology of norovirus associated with gastroenteritis and emergence of norovirus GII.4 variant 2012 in Japanese pediatric patients. Infect Genet Evol. 2014; 23:65-73. DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2014.01.030. View

18.

Hall A, Lopman B, Payne D, Patel M, Gastanaduy P, Vinje J . Norovirus disease in the United States. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013; 19(8):1198-205. PMC: 3739528. DOI: 10.3201/eid1908.130465. View

19.

Leshem E, Wikswo M, Barclay L, Brandt E, Storm W, Salehi E . Effects and clinical significance of GII.4 Sydney norovirus, United States, 2012-2013. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013; 19(8):1231-8. PMC: 3739516. DOI: 10.3201/eid1908.130458. View

20.

Zakikhany K, Allen D, Brown D, Iturriza-Gomara M . Molecular evolution of GII-4 Norovirus strains. PLoS One. 2012; 7(7):e41625. PMC: 3406047. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041625. View