Human Calicivirus Infection in Infants and Young Children of the Metropolitan Washington, DC Area

Sequential serum samples collected from individuals at approximately 3, 8, and 13 months of age who were enrolled in a rotavirus vaccine study conducted in Washington, DC from October 1989 through January 1990, were analyzed for the presence of antibodies to the Norwalk, Hawaii, and Toronto strains of human calicivirus by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antibodies were detected to the Hawaii, Norwalk, and Toronto viruses in 29 (85.3%), 24 (70.6%), and 27 (79.4%) of the serum samples, respectively, obtained from 34 children approximately one year following the final dose of rotavirus vaccine. Evidence was found for a high infection rate with these three viruses, with the highest frequency of serologic responses detected between the 8- and 13-month time points. During this period, 14 (42.4%), 13 (39.4%), and 16 (48.5%) of the 33 children tested showed evidence for a serologic response to Hawaii virus, Norwalk virus, and Toronto virus, respectively, as evidence by a 4-fold increase in antibody titer. Our data indicate that human calicivirus infections are common in young individuals living in die metropolitan Washington, DC area.