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Original Articles
Comparison of Clinical Features of Norovirus and Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in Hospitalized Children and Norovirus Genotype Analysis
Joon Hwan Song1, Dong Sin Sun1, Joon Soo Park1, Young Jin Choi2, Hae Seon Nam3, Yong Bae Kim4, Eun Hye Jung5, Kyung Ah Baek5 and Kwi Sung Park5
Departments of Pediatrics1, Clinical Pathology2, Parasitology3, Preventive Medicine4, College of M edicine, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-Do Health and Environment Research Institute5, Daejeon, Korea
Vol.42 Num.3 (p143~148)
Background: Norovirus is one of the most prevalent pathogens causing acute gastroenteritis in children. We compared the clinical features of noroviral gastroenteritis to those of rotaviral gastroenteritis and analyzed the noroviruses' genotype frequencies.
Materials and Methods: Stool samples were obtained form 433 children hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis from May 2008 through February 2009 at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital and examined for the presence of norovirus or rotavirus. We then analyzed the clinical features of noroviral gastroenteritis in comparison with rotaviral gastroenteritis and observed the capsid protein gene sequences from the isolated norovirus for genotyping.
Results: Norovirus was isolated from 69 patients (16.4%) and rotavirus from 49 patients (11.6%). The noroviral gastroenteritis patients experienced vomiting (77.4%), diarrhea (73.2%), and respiratory symptoms (53.6%); the rotaviral gastroenteritis patients experienced diarrhea (71.4%), dehydration (69.3%), and vomiting (65.3%). Dehydration in patients with noroviral gastroenteritis (43.4%) was rare compared with rotavirus (69.3%) (P=0.008). The isolated norovirus belonged primarily to the GII.4 genogroup (85.5%). Our hylogenetic analysis of the GII.4 isolates revealed 3 clusters, including novel cluster C.
Conclusions: Vomiting was the most common symptom in noroviral gastroenteritis patients. Dehydration in noroviral gastroenteritis patients was less common compared with rotavirus gastroenteritis patients. The majority of the norovirus strains isolated from children with acute gastroenteritis belonged to the GII.4 genogroup.
Keywords : Norovirus, Rotavirus, Gastroenteritis, Child