Members
of
the
Calicivirus
Family
(Norwalk
virus
and
Sapporo
virus):
Common
Causative
Agents
of
Acute
Gastroenteritis
in
Children
in
Japan
and
in
Finland
Shuji
Nakata
Department
of
Pediatrics
School
of
Medicine
Sapporo
Medical
University
Sapporo,
Japan
Norwalk
virus
(NV)
and
Sapporo
virus
(SV),
previously
called
human
caliciviruses,
represent
one
group
of
the
important
gastroenteritis
viruses
in
children
and
adults.
To
clarify
the
prevalence
and
clinical
importance
of
these
two
viruses,
diarrheal
stool
samples
obtained
from
36
outbreaks
of
non-bacterial
gastroenteritis
that
occurred
from
1976
to
1995
in
Sapporo,
Japan
in
an
infant
home,
where
the
residents
are
infnats
under
2
years
of
age,
were
examined
for
diarrhea
viruses
by
electron
microscopy,
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent
assay
and/or
RT-PCR.
Moreover,
stool
samples
collected
from
sporadic
cases
in
children
in
Japan
and
in
Finland
also
were
tested
by
the
same
methods.
NV
and
SV
were
associated
with
15
(42%)
of
the
36
outbreaks
and
were
more
prevalent
than
group
A
rotavirus
that
was
associated
with
10
(28%)
of
the
36
outbreaks.
Enteric
adenovirus
(type
40
and
41)
and
astrovirus
were
detected
in
3
(8%)
and
2
(6%)
of
the
36
outbreaks,
respectively.
In
sporadic
infantile
gastroenteritis
in
Finland,
NV
and
SV
are
second
in
frequency
to
group
A
rotavirus
as
causative
agents.
Out
of
the
hospitalized
cases
of
acute
gastroenteritis
in
Sapporo,
group
A
rotavirus
is
the
most
prevalent
followed
by
NV/genogroup
II,
and
NV/genogroup
I
and
SV
are
not
detected.
These
data
indicate
that
NV
and
SV
were
the
most
common
cause
of
outbreaks
of
viral
gastroenteritis
in
infants
in
some
setting
or
geographical
location,
and
were
common
causative
agents
also
in
sporadic
cases
in
children
in
Japan
and
in
Finland.
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