Epidemiological and molecular surveillance of norovirus in the Brazilian Amazon: description of recombinant genotypes and improvement of evolutionary analysis

Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. 2024 Apr 19:66:e22. doi: 10.1590/S1678-9946202466022. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Noroviruses are highly infectious, genetically diverse viruses. Global outbreaks occur frequently, making molecular surveillance important for infection monitoring. This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to monitor cases of norovirus gastroenteritis in the Brazilian Amazon. Fecal samples were tested by immunoenzymatic assay, RT-PCR and genetic sequencing for the ORF1/ORF2 and protease regions. Bayesian inference with a molecular clock was employed to construct the phylogeny. The norovirus prevalence was 25.8%, with a higher positivity rate among children aged 0-24 months. Genogroup GII accounted for 98.1% of the sequenced samples, while GI accounted for 1.9% of them. The GII.P16/GII.4 genotype was the most prevalent, with an evolution rate of 2.87x10-3 and TMRCA estimated in 2012. This study demonstrates that norovirus is a primary causative agent of gastroenteritis and provides data on viral genetic diversity that may facilitate infection surveillance and vaccine development.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Caliciviridae Infections* / epidemiology
  • Caliciviridae Infections* / virology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Feces* / virology
  • Female
  • Gastroenteritis* / epidemiology
  • Gastroenteritis* / virology
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genotype*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Norovirus* / classification
  • Norovirus* / genetics
  • Phylogeny*
  • Prevalence
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • RNA, Viral