Caliciviruses in hospitalized children, São Luís, Maranhão, 1997-1999: detection of norovirus GII.12

ABSTRACT Gastroenteritis is one of the most common diseases during childhood, with norovirus (NoV) and sapovirus (SaV) being two of its main causes. This study reports for the first time the incidence of these viruses in hospitalized children with and without gastroenteritis in São Luís, Maranhão. A total of 136 fecal samples were tested by enzyme immunoassays (EIA) for the detection of NoV and by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of both NoV and SaV. Positive samples for both agents were subjected to sequencing. The overall frequency of NoV as detected ...