Abstract
Noroviruses mainly belonging to the GII.4 genotype are etiological agents of acute enteric infections. However, noroviruses belonging to other genotypes also play a role in some epidemiological periods or individual geographical regions. In recent years, GII.6 noroviruses have become the second most important etiologic agent of norovirus infection outbreaks after GII.4. The goal of the work is to characterize genetic variants of norovirus genotype GII.6 using phylogenetic analysis of noroviruses genome sequences present in the GenBank and NoroNet databases, as well as in the Nizhny Novgorod territory. Noroviruses of the GII.6 genotype circulating during sporadic morbidity, as well as causing an outbreak of acute enteric infection in Nizhny Novgorod, were identified using sequencing of the genome region coding for the N/S domain of VP1 capsid protein. Comparative phylogenetic analyses of sequences obtained in this study and sequences presented in international genetic databases was conducted using Mega 5.2 software. Existing of three genetic variants of the GII.6 genotype differing in genes coding for capsid protein (GII.6a (Seacroft_1990), GII.6b (Saitama_1997), and GII.6c (Shizuoka_2008)) in combination with two genotypes differing in gene coding for polymerase (P6 and P7) was confirmed. It has been shown that these genotypes have been co-circulating since the 1970s. This fact demonstrates that there are differences in evolution processes between minor norovirus genotypes and the dominant GII.4 genotype, new epidemic variants of which are completely replaced by new ones over several years. Noroviruses GII.6 that circulate in Nizhny Novgorod and other Russian cities belong to the GII.6a and GII.6b genovariants. Recombinant noroviruses GII.P7_GII.6c have been becoming the most widespread in Asia and Europe in recent years. Noroviruses of the GII.6c genovariant have not been detected in Russia, but the probability of its appearing as a cause of outbreaks of acute enteric infections in our country cannot be excluded.
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