Abstract
A norovirus recombinant GII.P4_NewOrleans_2009/GII.4_Sydney_2012 was first detected in Victoria, Australia, in August 2015 at low frequency, and then re-emerged in June 2016, having undergone genetic changes. Analysis of 14 years’ surveillance data from Victoria suggests a typical delay of two to seven months between first detection of a new variant and occurrence of a subsequent epidemic linked to that variant. We consider that the current recombinant strain has the potential to become a pandemic variant.
Highlights
This study reports the emergence of a GII.4 intervariant recombinant of GII.P4_NewOrleans_2009 (ORF1) with GII.4_Sydney_2012 (ORF2)
No new pandemic strain has emerged since the GII.4_Sydney_2012 variant [5], which has been the predominant strain in Victoria, Australia, since its emergence in 2012, there is a report [7] of an altered form of the Sydney_2012 variant detected over the past 12 months in the United States
Faecal specimens collected from gastroenteritis outbreaks are routinely sent to Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) for norovirus testing [8]
Summary
A norovirus intervariant GII. recombinant in Victoria, Australia, June 2016: the epidemic variant?. A norovirus recombinant GII.P4_NewOrleans_2009/ GII.4_Sydney_2012 was first detected in Victoria, Australia, in August 2015 at low frequency, and re-emerged in June 2016, having undergone genetic changes. This study reports the emergence of a GII. intervariant recombinant of GII.P4_NewOrleans_2009 (ORF1) with GII.4_Sydney_2012 (ORF2). This new recombinant – first detected in Victoria, Australia, in August 2015, re-emerged, with genetic changes, in June 2016 – has been the causative agent in the majority of norovirus gastroenteritis outbreaks in Victoria since its remergence. The report [7] appears to be based only on partial capsid sequence and it is unclear whether Sydney_2015 is the GII.P4_NewOrleans_2009/GII.4_Sydney_2012 recombinant
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
