Norovirus epidemiology in community and health care settings and association with patient age, Denmark

Kristina T Franck, Jannik Fonager, Annette K Ersbøll, Blenda Böttiger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Norovirus (NoV) is a major cause of gastroenteritis. NoV genotype II.4 (GII.4) is the predominant genotype in health care settings but the reason for this finding is unknown. Stool samples containing isolates with a known NoV genotype from 2,109 patients in Denmark (patients consulting a general practitioner or outpatient clinic, inpatients, and patients from foodborne outbreaks) were used to determine genotype distribution in relation to age and setting. NoV GII.4 was more prevalent among inpatients than among patients in community settings or those who became infected during foodborne outbreaks. In community and health care settings, we found an association between infection with GII.4 and increasing age. Norovirus GII.4 predominated in patients ≥ 60 years of age and in health care settings. A larger proportion of children than adults were infected with NoV GII.3 or GII.P21. Susceptibility to NoV infection might depend on patient age and infecting NoV genotype. Cohort studies are warranted to test this hypothesis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1123-31
Number of pages9
JournalEmerging Infectious Diseases
Volume20
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014 Jul

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
  • Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology

Free keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Caliciviridae Infections/epidemiology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Denmark/epidemiology
  • Disease Outbreaks
  • Feces/virology
  • Female
  • Food Microbiology
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Norovirus/genetics
  • RNA, Viral/genetics
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Young Adult

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