Rotavirus, Norovirus and Astrovirus in Children Aged 0 - 5 Years: Evolution of Prevalence over 10 Years (2013-2023) Following the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccines in Burkina Faso

Rotaviruses, noroviruses, and astroviruses are responsible for gastroenteritis in children under 5 years old. The objective of our study was to estimate the evolution of prevalence of rotavirus, norovirus and astrovirus infections in children aged 0 to 5 years with gastroenteritis, after the introduction of rotavirus vaccines in Burkina Faso. This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and December 2023, collecting 100 stool samples from children with gastroenteritis at Saint Camille Hospital in Ouagadougou and the Charles De Gaulle University Paediatric Hospital. Noroviruses and astroviruses were detected using multiplex real-time PCR with a Sacace biotechnology detection kit. Data analysis was performed with Stata statistical software, version 16.0. The prevalence of norovirus infections was 14% and astrovirus infections were 9%. Rotavirus infections were found at prevalence of 15%. The age group most affected by norovirus and astrovirus infections was 0 - 12 months, with respective prevalence rates of 73.34% and 55.56%. The most frequently observed clinical signs in children infected with astrovirus were fever (77.78%), diarrhea (55.56%), and vomiting (44.44%). The introduction of rotavirus vaccines has reduced rotavirus-related infections. However, this has not significantly impacted the prevalence of norovirus and astrovirus infections in Burkina Faso.

Nosocomial diarrhea in children:is astrovirus the leading pathogen?

Objective:To screen for the presence of mixed infection with rotavirus.Methods:The present study included 140 children aged less than 2 years with acute diarrhea.Fecal samples of all these patients were analyzed for the presence of astroviral antigen by enzyme immunoassay.Also 40 rotavirus positive fecal samples were screened for the presence of astrovirus.Results:In case of acute diarrhea in children the prevalence of astrovirus was around 34% (48/140).It was seen that even in rotavirus positive cases astrovirus co infection was 25% .Conclusions:Astrovirus is a growing problem which is often underrecognised.With the rotavirus vaccine licensure being imminent astrovirus will emerge out as the single most important cause of viral

Molecular study of astrovirus, adenovirus and norovirus in community acquired diarrhea in children: One Egyptian center study

Objective: To determine the prevalence of astrovirus, norovirus, adenovirus in children below five years old with diarrhea by multiplex reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) along with rotavirus antigen detection by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay.Methods: The study was conducted on children below five years old complaining of acute diarrhea. The study included stool examination by molecular method for detection of norovirus, adenovirus and astrovirus by multiplex RT-PCR. Rotavirus antigen was detected in the stool by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay.Results: The study included 100 children below 5 years old with acute diarrhea.Multiplex RT-PCR was positive in 34% of the children. The most frequently detected virus was rotavirus(44%), followed by norovirus(30%), adenovirus(20%) and astrovirus(14%). The clinical symptoms were more significantly associated with viral diarrhea such as fever(P = 0.03), bloody diarrhea(P = 0.025), vomiting(P = 0.000 1) and watery diarrheas(P = 0.05). The frequency of diarrhea with viral pathogen was significantly presented in winter season(39.7%). There were significant frequencies of norovirus and adenovirus in age ranging 1–2 years old(P = 0.04, P = 0.01 respectively).Conclusions: The present study spotlights on the prevalence of viral pathogens as an important etiology in diarrhea in children below five years old. Astrovirus, norovirus and adenovirus are common along with rotavirus in this group of patients. Multiplex PCR leads to improve the laboratory diagnosis of these viruses along with antigen detection method. Further longitudinal studies are required to evaluate the epidemiological data associated with these viruses and for proper management of such drastic infection.

Novel Coronaviruses and Astroviruses in Bats

Zoonotic transmissions of emerging pathogens from wildlife to human have shaped the history of mankind. These events have also highlighted our poor understanding of microorganisms circulated in wild animals. Coronaviruses and astroviruses,which can be found from a wide range of mammals,were recently detected in bats. Strikingly,these bat viruses are genetically highly diverse and these interesting findings might help to better understand the evolution and ecology of these viruses. The discoveries of these novel bats viruses not only suggested that bats are important hosts for these virus families,but also reiterated the role of bats as a reservoir of viruses that might pose a zoonotic threat to human health.

The complete genomic sequence analysis of genotype 4 human astrovirus HASTVgz01 strain in Guangzhou

To analyze the genomic molecular structure and genotype of human astrovirus isolated from infant in Guangzhou of China, the primers were designed based on the genomic sequence of astrovirus from the C, enBank and the target sequence were amplified by RT-PCR. Then the PCR-products were cloned to T vector and sequenced. The genomic nucleotide sequences were analyzed by the programs CLUSTAL W and DNASTAR. It was found that the full genomic length of HASTVgz01 strain was 6721 bp and the ORFs were 6558 bp. The 5＇ and 3＇UTR were 82 and 81 nucleotides. The genome included 3 open reading frames （ORFs） ： ORFla, ORFlb and ORF2. The 5＇-terminal ORFla started at nueleotide 83 and extended to nucleotide 2845. ORFlb （nt 2785 to nt 4332） overlaped ORFla by 61 nueleotides. The 3＇-terminal ORF2 began at nucleotide 4325 and terminated at nucleotide 6640. ORF2 had 2316 nucleotides. Compared with other astrovirus sequences in GenBank, the homology of the amino acid sequence of ORF2 of HASTVgz01 strain with that of serotype 4 was 93%. Homology with other serotypes ranged from 61% to 70%. The complete nucleotide sequence of astrovirus HASTVgz01 strain isolated from Guangzhou in China was 6721 bp in length, GenBank accession NO. DQ344027. Comparing the ORF2 of astrovirus HASTVgz01 with the known sequences of types 1-8 the highest homology was serotype 4 （93%）. Comparative sequence analysis of the HASTVgz01 ORF2 with the reported human astrovirus sequences revealed that the isolated astrovirus belongs to genotype （serotype） 4.

Identification,Isolation and Genomic Characterization of Porcine Astrovirus in Shandong Province,China in 2021-2023

[Objective]The paper was to identify,isolate,and characterize porcine astrovirus in Shandong Province between 2021 and 2023.[Method]A total of 1025 samples of porcine diarrhea samples were collected from various regions of Shandong Province between January 2021 and October 2023.The samples were tested by RT-PCR,followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of the polymerase.[Result]The total positive rate of PAstV was 34.6%(355/1025).The respective proportions of individuals infected with PAstV-1,PAstV-2,PAstV-4 and PAstV-5 were 25.4%(90/355),28.2%(100/355),35.2%(125/355)and 22.5%(80/355),respectively.Additionally,mixed infection was observed.Meanwhile,849 samples of healthy pigs were tested by RT-PCR,and the results demonstrated that the total positive rate of PAstV was 8.13%(69/849).Of these,the proportion of PAstV-1,PAstV-2 and PAstV-4 infection was 27.5%(19/69),37.7%(26/69)and 40.6%(28/69),and a mixed infection also existed.Further sequencing and characterization of some the selected isolates revealed low sequence identities(56.2%)with known PAstV strains,indicating the presence of novel types or genotypes of PAstVs.Furthermore,the isolation conditions of porcine astrovirus were optimized,resulting in the purification of a pure PAstV-4 strain(designated PAstV-4-GRF1).The virus was found to exhibit typical astroviral morphology,with nucleotide identity ranging from 89.9 to 95.4%with previously published PAstV-4 strains.Then,macrovirus transcriptome sequencing showed that 88.30%of the CRF1 samples were mammalian astroviruses.By species classification,PAstV 4 and PAstV 2 accounted for 21.79%and 0.32%,respectively.Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the c15050 fragment was identical to the GRF-1 sequencing fragment of the isolated strain,and exhibited the highest homology with the Hunan PAstV-4 sequence MK460231 in China.[Conclusion]As the inaugural isolated PAstV-4 strain,it furnishes pivotal materialfor the investigation ofthe biological and pathogenic properties of this virus as well as for the prospectivedevelopment of relevant biological and diagnostic reagents.

Acute gastroenteritis outbreaks caused by human astrovirus,1978-2021:A systematic review

Human astrovirus(HAstV)is one of the main pathogens that cause sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis,sometimes leading to outbreaks.This study aimed to elucidate the epidemiological and etiological character-istics of HAstV outbreaks worldwide.Literature on HAstV outbreaks published before January 2022 was retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure,WanFang,WeiPu,PubMed,and Web of Science databases.Date,region,population,settings,transmission modes,clinical symptoms,and etiological characteristics of the outbreaks were collected and analyzed.Thirty-one articles on 32 HAstV outbreaks reported between November 1978 and October 2018 were included.The outbreaks mainly occurred in autumn(14/32,43.75%),and more of them were reported in 1996,2004,and 2017.Outbreaks were primarily dis-tributed in the Northern Hemisphere and mainly occurred in nursery centers and kindergartens(9/29,31.03%),hospitals(5/29,17.24%),and schools(4/29,13.79%).Viral genotypes were identified during 19 outbreaks,and HAstV-1 was predominant(8/19,42.10%).Eleven outbreaks were caused by mixed infection,and norovirus(9/11,81.82%)and rotavirus(5/11,45.45%)were the most common mixed pathogens.The transmission routes were reported in 9 outbreaks of mixed infection,and most(7/9)were related to water-borne and foodborne transmission.Although HAstV outbreaks are infrequently reported,it is necessary to con-sider HAstV in norovirus-negative gastroenteritis outbreaks.In addition,local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should have the capacity to handle HAstV outbreaks and identify pathogens.

1株新型鹅星状病毒的全基因序列分析

为研究新型鹅星状病毒(Novel goose astroviruses,N-GAstV)的遗传进化特征,获得了鹅星状病毒安徽分离株AstV/AHHX的全长基因,为7251 nt。测序分析显示:AstV/AHHX具有典型的新型鹅星状病毒基因组特征。AstV/AHHX与分离株GDZJ37以及山东分离株G538和G576的遗传距离较近;同时与毒株GDZJ37、G538和G576的ORF2氨基酸序列同源性达100%,ORF1a和ORF1b的同源性也有99.6%以上,推测它们由同一毒株演化而来。ORF2氨基酸序列位点分析显示有12高变异位点,分别是第36(Y/S/H)、60(V/I)、224(T/A)、228(A/S/T)、229(P/Q)、289(T/A)、376(T/A)、456(D/E)、540(Q/L)、608(S/T)、610(E/D/G)、614(N/A/T)位氨基酸。其中第224、228、229、608、614位的氨基酸突变可能导致病毒蛋白质的构象及功能发生变化,进而改变病毒的致病能力。

Astrovirus infection in young children with diarrhea hospitalized at Beijing Children’s Hospital

Background This study was to assess certain epidemiol ogical and clinical characteristics of astrovirus infection in children with diarrhea below 5 years old hospitalized at the Beijing Children’s Hospital.Methods From September 1999 to August 2001, a total of 288 children with diarrhea below 5 years old hospitalized at Beijing Children’s Hospital were studied. Fecal specimens collected from each patient were tested for astrovirus by using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and further serotyped by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using serotype-specific primers.Results Astrovirus antigen was positive in 9.0% of the patients, and the rate of coinfection with rotavirus was 19.2% among the a strovirus positive patients. The patients with astrovirus infection were at the age of 7 days to 17 months, most (92.3%) of them were less than 12 months. Astrovirus infection occurred mainly between October and March of the following year. Main symptoms included watery stool, vomiting, fever, and dehydration. Increased activity of myocardial enzyme was seen in 4 patients. Of the 22 astrovirus positive specimens, 14 were successfully serotyped by RT-PCR and they were all serotype 1.Conclusions The overall incidence of astrovirus infection in yo ung children with diarrhea hospitalized at the Beijing Children’s Hospital was 9.0%. The predominant serotype was type 1. Astrovirus may play an important role in viral diarrhea in young children in Beijing, China.

An outbreak of human astrovirus lineage 1b in a middle school in Guangxi, Southern China in 2017

To the Editor: Human astroviruses (HAstVs) are important etiologic agents of viral gastroenteritis worldwide,[1,2] especially in pediatric patients aged ≤5 years.[3] However, reports on HAstV outbreaks in middle schools remain limited. Here, we report a HAstV outbreak in a middle school in China. Clinical and environmental samples tested positive for HAstV, showing a 100% nucleotide identity of the 348-bp region of the capsid protein gene.

Molecular detection of viruses in Kenyan bats and discovery of novel astroviruses, caliciviruses and rotaviruses

This is the first country-wide surveillance of bat-borne viruses in Kenya spanning from 2012-2015 covering sites perceived to have medium to high level bat-human interaction. The objective of this surveillance study was to apply a non-invasive approach using fresh feces to detect viruses circulating within the diverse species of Kenyan bats. We screened for both DNA and RNA viruses; specifically, astroviruses （AstVs）, adenoviruses （ADVs）, caliciviruses （CalVs）, coronaviruses （CoVs）, flaviviruses, filoviruses, paramyxoviruses （PMVs）, polyomaviruses （PYVs） and rotaviruses. We used family-specific primers, amplicon sequencing and further characterization by phyloge- netic analysis. Except for filoviruses, eight virus families were detected with varying distributions and positive rates across the five regions （former provinces） studied. AstVs （12.83%）, CoVs （3.97%）, PMV （2.4%）, ADV （2.26%）, PYV （1.65%）, CalVs （0.29%）, rotavirus （0.19%） and flavivirus （0.19%）. Novel CalVs were detected in Rousettus aegyptiacus and Mops condylurus while novel Rotavirus-A-related viruses were detected in Taphozous bats and R. aegyptiacus. The two Rotavirus A （RVA） strains detected were highly related to human strains with VP6 genotypes 12 and 116. Genotype 116 has previously been assigned to human RVA-strain B10 from Kenya only, which raises public health concern, particularly considering increased human-bat interaction. Additionally, 229E-like bat CoVs were detected in samples originating from Hipposideros bats roosting in sites with high human activity. Our findings confirm the presence of diverse viruses in Kenyan bats while providing extended knowledge on bat virus distribution. The detection of viruses highly related to human strains and hence of public health concern, underscores the importance of continuous surveillance.

肉鸡发育障碍与矮小综合征

肉鸡发育障碍与矮小综合征是一种包括肠道损害等多症状的传染性疾病,目前已遍布世界各地,在蛋鸡、珍珠鸡和火鸡中均有发生,是一个严重威胁现代养禽业的重大问题。论文从肉鸡发育障碍与矮小综合征的临床症状、病理变化和病原学对其进行了综述,以期为本病的诊断和预防提供参考。

牛星状病毒、牛病毒性腹泻病毒1型、牛冠状病毒和牛轮状病毒四重实时荧光定量RT-PCR检测方法的建立

利用多重荧光定量RT-PCR(real-time RT-PCR)方法,提高对多病原检测的速度和灵敏度,促进对犊牛腹泻的快速诊断和及时治疗。分别在牛星状病毒(BAstV)ORF2基因,牛病毒性腹泻病毒1型(BVDV-1)5′端非编码区,牛冠状病毒(BCV)N pro基因和牛轮状病毒(BRV)VP6基因的保守基因序列设计、合成并试验筛选了四对有效的特异性引物和探针。进一步利用含4种病毒目的片段的重组质粒,对引物和探针的浓度以及反应条件进行了优化,建立了Real-time RT-PCR标准曲线,并对四重Real-time PCR方法的特异性、敏感性、重复性和各种临床样本的适用性进行了评价。结果显示:Real-time RT-PCR最适退火温度和时间分别为50.0℃和45 s,BAstV、BVDV-1、BCV和BRV的引物浓度分别为300、300、400和500 nmol·L^(-1),探针浓度分别为250、150、100和300 nmol·L^(-1)。对BVDV-1、BCV和BRV的最低检测限均为102copies·μL^(-1),对BAstV的最低检测限为103 copies·μL^(-1),具有良好的特异性和重复性。该方法对临床采集的粪样的阳性检出率高于PCR方法。上述结果表明,建立的四重Real-time RT-PCR方法可以用于犊牛腹泻常见病原BAstV、BVDV-1、BCV和BRV的快速鉴别诊断。

蝙蝠星状病毒在人兽共患潜力上的研究进展

星状病毒分为禽星状病毒属和哺乳动物星状病毒属,蝙蝠星状病毒属哺乳动物星状病毒属.蝙蝠感染星状病毒并不表现临床症状,但是近年来的研究显示出星状病毒具有流行广泛性、宿主和基因多样性的特点.而蝙蝠作为唯一能飞行并且携带多种人兽共患病病毒的哺乳动物,研究其星状病毒的流行情况及人兽共患潜力变得尤为重要,本综述就近年来蝙蝠中星状病毒相关研究及星状病毒中存在的人兽共患潜力进行综述,为后续星状病毒的研究提供参考.

2015-2021年宁夏腹泻病例中人星状病毒分子流行病学特征分析

基于宁夏食源性疾病监测系统研究宁夏地区2015-2021年15家哨点医院腹泻病例中的人星状病毒(Human astrovirus,HAstV)感染状况,流行病学特点和基因特征。对收集的粪便标本,采用Real-time PCR方法筛选出的HAstV阳性标本,进行了回顾性分析。通过逆转录PCR对保存的HAstV阳性样本进行测序和基因分型,确定宁夏地区HAstV流行的基因型别和遗传进化。2015-2021年共收集腹泻病例标本8586例,HAstV阳性率为5.9%(513例),其中单独HAstV感染293例(占57%),和其它病毒共同感染220例(占42%),共同感染中与轮状病毒和诺如病毒GII组感染最多见,其次是两种以上病毒感染。感染发生在所有年龄组,5岁以下儿童的阳性率最高(8.0%),11-20岁年龄组阳性率最低(1.9%)。感染全年发生,一月和六月高发。对保存的168份HAstV单独阳性标本进行测序分析,测序获得94条HAstV基因序列,经鉴定为5种基因型别,分别是HAstV-1、HAstV-2、HAstV-3、HAstV-4、 HAstV-5,其中HAstV-1型为最常见的基因型(占61.7%),其次是HAstV-5(占19.1%)和HAstV-4(占15.9%)。系统发育分析显示HAstV-1分别属于HAstV-1a和HAstV-1b亚型,HAstV-1a较常见。HAstV-5和HAstV-4分别属于HAstV-5c和HAstV-4c亚型。全人群均可感染星状病毒,但主要受影响为5岁以下儿童。HAstV-1型是宁夏地区流行的主要型别,同时存在HAstV-1a和HAstV-1b、HAstV-4c、HAstV-5c共循环。

2012年成都地区婴幼儿病毒性腹泻监测结果分析

目的了解成都地区5岁以下儿童病毒性腹泻的感染状况,为科学防控提供依据。方法2012-01/12采集哨点医院5岁以下门诊和住院腹泻患儿粪便,使用酶联免疫法(ELISA)对粪便标本进行轮状病毒抗原检测,用RT-PCR(反转录PCR)方法对粪便标本进行杯状病毒、星状病毒和肠道腺病毒核酸检测。结果共采集急性腹泻患儿粪便311例,轮状病毒、杯状病毒、星状病毒和肠道腺病毒的检出率分别为23.15%、29.90%、0.96%和2.89%,轮状病毒除7月无检出外,其余各月检出率均较高,呈秋冬季高发;杯状病毒全年各月均维持较高检出率,呈夏秋季高发;星状病毒和肠道腺病毒无季节高发现象。结论杯状病毒已成为2012年成都哨点医院病毒性腹泻最主要的病原,其次是轮状病毒,星状病毒和肠道腺病毒检出率较低。应继续加强病毒性腹泻的监测,以了解抗原变化趋势,为婴幼儿腹泻病的快速诊断与防控提供依据。

人星状病毒、肠道腺病毒双重实时荧光RT-PCR方法的建立及应用

人星状病毒(Human astrovirus,HAstV)、肠道腺病毒(Enteric adenovirus,EAdV)是引起急性胃肠炎的两种常见病原体,目前尚未实现这两种病原体荧光定量RT-PCR的单管双重检测。为建立一种灵敏特异的双重荧光定量RT-PCR检测方法并应用于实验室样本检测,本研究选择HAstV、EAdV特异性引物和探针,优化反应体系和反应条件,并对该方法的灵敏性、特异性和稳定性进行评价。结果显示,该方法针对HAstV和EAdV的检出限分别可以达到522拷贝/μL和53.5拷贝/μL;与多种常见和罕见的人腹泻病毒没有交叉反应;批内和批间等重复性实验变异系数均小于5%;灵敏度高于常规PCR。本研究提示,建立的HAstV、EAdV双重荧光定量RT-PCR检测方法具有较好的灵敏度、特异性和稳定性,可用于实验室HAstV和EAdV的快速筛查。