Circulation of Aichi virus genotype B strains in children with acute gastroenteritis in India.

Acute gastroenteritis (AG) is considered as one of the major health problems affecting humans of all ages. A number of viruses have been recognized as important causes of this disease. Recently, Aichi virus has been shown to play an aetiological role in sporadic infections and outbreaks of AG. A study on surveillance of enteric viruses was conducted during 2004-2008 in three cities in Maharashtra state, western India. A total of 1240 stool specimens from children aged ≤8 years hospitalized for AG were screened for the presence of Aichi virus by RT-PCR of the 3C-3D junction region followed by sequencing for the identification of genotype. Aichi virus was detected at a prevalence of 1·1% in the <5 years age group and characterized as genotype B. This is the first report on the circulation of Aichi virus genotype B in India.