Global trends in norovirus genotype distribution among children with acute gastroenteritis

Abstract

Noroviruses are a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) among adults and children worldwide. Noro- Surv is a global network for norovirus strain surveillance among children <5 years of age with AGE. Participants in 16 countries across 6 continents used standardized protocols for dual typing (genotype and polymerase type) and uploaded 1,325 dual-typed sequences to the Noro- Surv web portal during 2016–2020. More than 50% of submitted sequences were GII.4 Sydney[P16] or GII.4 Sydney[P31] strains. Other common strains included GII.2[P16], GII.3[P12], GII.6[P7], and GI.3[P3] viruses. In total, 22 genotypes and 36 dual types, including GII.3 and GII.20 viruses with rarely reported polymerase types, were detected, refl ecting high strain diversity. Surveillance data captured in NoroSurv enables the monitoring of trends in norovirus strains associated childhood AGE throughout the world on a near real-time basis.