Key result
The Norovirus GII.2[P16] strain was the dominant genotype, responsible for 45.3% (92/203) of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in Shenzhen from 2015 to 2018, primarily occurring in school settings.
Why the study?
Norovirus is the main cause of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide, and understanding the evolutionary characteristics of circulating strains in Shenzhen was needed.
Observational (n=2,500)
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
The GII.2[P16] norovirus strain was the predominant cause of outbreaks in Shenzhen from 2015-2018, primarily in school settings, and showed relative genetic stability.
Background: Norovirus (NoV) is the main cause of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis (AGE) outbreaks worldwide. From September 2015 through August 2018, 203 NoV outbreaks involving 2,500 cases were reported to the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Methods: Faecal specimens for 203 outbreaks were collected and epidemiological data were obtained through the AGE outbreak surveillance system in Shenzhen. Genotypes were determined by sequencing analysis. To gain a better understanding of the evolutionary characteristics of NoV in Shenzhen, recombination events were analysed and molecular evolution was evaluated based on time-scale evolutionary phylogeny and amino acid mutations.Results: A total of nine counties reported NoV outbreaks and the reported NoV outbreaks peaked from November to March. Among the 203 NoV outbreaks, 150 were sequenced successfully. Most of these outbreaks were associated with the NoV GII.2[P16] strain (45.3%, 92/203) and occurred in school settings (91.6%, 186/203). The GII.2[P16] strain is a recombinant strain that is relatively stable. In these GII.2[P16] recombination strain outbreaks, the non-structural proteins of the recombination strain might have played a more significant role than VP1.Conclusions: This study illustrates the molecular epidemiological patterns in Shenzhen, China, from September 2015 to August 2018 and provides evidence that the GII.2[P16] strain was relatively stable and that epidemic trend has weakened.
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Wang et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Norovirus acute gastroenteritis outbreaks (n=2,500). Norovirus GII.2[P16] strain vs. Other norovirus strains was evaluated on Proportion of outbreaks associated with the NoV GII.2[P16] strain. The Norovirus GII.2[P16] strain was the dominant genotype, responsible for 45.3% (92/203) of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in Shenzhen from 2015 to 2018, primarily occurring in school settings.
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