Frequency of norovirus in stool samples from hospitalized children due to acute gastroenteritis in Anatolia, Turkey, 2006-2007.

Noroviruses are among the most common causes of sporadic enteritis in childhood. In this pilot study, the frequency of norovirus infection in children in mid-western Turkey was investigated from November 2006 to June 2007. Noroviruses were detected in 17% of samples (15/88) by a combination of 2 different RT-PCR assays, both targeting an overlapping region of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene. By sequence analysis, most strains were characterized as GIIb/Hilversum. One strain was characterized as GII.4/2006a, a variant that appeared worldwide in 2006, while another strain was characterized as a rare genotype, GII.6. This study demonstrates the importance of norovirus in paediatric diarrhoea and suggests the heterogeneity of circulating strains in Turkey.