0000000000123222
AUTHOR
Shoko Okitsu
Identification of enteroviral infection among infants and children admitted to hospital with acute gastroentritis in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
A total of 276 fecal specimens collected from infants and children admitted to hospital with acute gastroenteritis in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from October 2002 to September 2003, were tested for the presence of enteroviruses by RT-PCR and virus isolation. Enteroviruses were detected in 27 patients by RT-PCR corresponding to 9.8%. However, only four enterovirus strains could be isolated by cell culture with two different cell lines CaCo2 and Vero, showing specific cytopathic effect (CPE). The results clearly indicate that RT-PCR is a sensitive, specific assay to investigate the true burden of acute gastroenteritis due to enteroviruses in clinical fecal specimens. In the present study, ente…
Characterizations of adenovirus type 41 isolates from children with acute gastroenteritis in Japan, Vietnam, and Korea.
ABSTRACT Genetic and antigenic characterizations of 70 strains of adenovirus type 41 (Ad41), isolated between 1998 and 2001 from children in Japan, Vietnam, and Korea, were done by DNA restriction enzyme (RE) analysis, sequencing analysis, and monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Eight genome types were observed in the present study, among which D25, D26, D27, and D28 were novel genome types. These eight genome types were divided into two genome-type clusters (GTCs) based on phylogenetic analysis of the hypervariable regions (HVRs) of the hexon. GTC1 includes D1, D25, D26, D27, and D28, and the GTC2 contains D4, D12, and D22. The amino acid homologies a…
Changing distribution of norovirus genotypes and genetic analysis of recombinant GIIb among infants and children with diarrhea in Japan
A total of 402 fecal specimens collected during July 2003-June 2004 from infants and children with acute gastroenteritis, encompassing five localities (Maizuru, Tokyo, Sapporo, Saga, and Osaka) of Japan, were tested for the presence of norovirus by RT-PCR. It was found that 58 (14.4%) fecal specimens were positive for norovirus. Norovirus infection was detected throughout the year with the highest prevalence in December. Norovirus GII was the most predominant genogroup (98.3%; 57 of 58). The genotypes detected in this study were GI/4, GII/2, GII/3, GII/4, and GII/6. Of these, NoV GII/3 (known as the Arg320 virus cluster) was the most predominant genotype (43.9%), followed by NoV GII/4 (the …
Novel Recombinant Norovirus in China
To the Editor: Norovirus (NoV), the distinct genus within the family Caliciviridae, is a major cause of sporadic cases and outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in humans (1). NoV possesses a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome surrounded by an icosahedral capsid. The NoV genome contains 3 open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 encodes nonstructural proteins, ORF 2 encodes capsid protein (VP1), and ORF3 encodes a small capsid protein (VP2). NoV is still uncultivable by standard culture with different cell lines. However, expression of either VP1 or both VP1 and VP2 with recombinant baculoviruses formed viruslike particles that are morphologically and antigenically similar to the native virion…
Identification of sapovirus infection among Japanese infants in a day care center.
A total of 921 fecal specimens collected from 44 infants in a day care center in Tokyo, Japan during June 1999 to July 2000 were tested for the presence of sapovirus by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Of 88 fecal specimens from infants with acute gastroenteritis, 2.3% (2) were found to be positive for sapovirus. Twenty-two of 833 (2.6%) fecal specimens collected from asymptomatic infants were also infected with this virus. Another interesting feature was the demonstration of high incidence of sapovirus infection (95.5%, 21 of 22) identified in a single day care center, which was not due to viral shedding after the latest acute gastroenteritis. Sapovirus was subject…
Establishment of an HIV cell-cell fusion assay by using two genetically modified HeLa cell lines and reporter gene.
Infection of human cells with the human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) can be mimicked by a fusion process between cells expressing the HIV envelope protein (Env) and cells expressing both human CD4 together with the appropriate human chemokine receptors. In this study, a T-tropic HIV cell-cell fusion assay was established that utilized CD4, human CXCR4 and HIV NL4-3 gp160 as fusion components and a T7 polymerase-activated luciferase as a reporter system. The HeLa T4 cells used, expressed CD4 and CXCR4, and the applied HeLa KS386 cells expressed HIV NL4-3 gp160. By combining HeLa T4 cells with HeLa KS386 cells, an approximately about 100- to 300-fold increase in luciferase activity c…
Outbreak of sapovirus infection among infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in Osaka City, Japan during 2004–2005
One hundred and twenty five fecal specimens were collected from sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis in a pediatric clinic in Osaka City, Japan from July 2004 to June 2005 and tested for the presence of rotavirus, norovirus, sapovirus, astrovirus, and adenovirus by RT-multiplex PCR. Among diarrheal viruses detected, norovirus was the most prevalent (19.2%, 24 of 125), followed by group A rotavirus (18.4%, 23 of 125), astrovirus (1.6%, 2 of 125), and adenovirus (0.8%, 1 of 125), respectively. Interestingly, sapovirus infection was identified with high incidence of 17.6% (22 of 125). Sapovirus was subjected to molecular genetic analysis by sequencing. It was found that sapovirus detected i…