Molecular epidemiological study of rotavirus and norovirus infections among children with acute gastroenteritis in Nha Trang, Vietnam, December 2005-June 2006.

A molecular epidemiological study of rotavirus (RV) and norovirus (NoV) infections was carried out in Nha Trang city in Vietnam between December 2005 and June 2006. RV and NoV were detected in 87 (47.5%) and 12 (6.6%) of the 183 fecal specimens from children hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis, respectively. The majority of patients with RV and NoV were children younger than 2 years of age. The most frequent RV genotypes detected were G3 (n=37, 42.5%) and G1 (n=28, 32.2%) for G type, P[8] (n=61, 70.1%) for P type, and G3P[8] (n=33, 38.0%) and G1P[8] (n=18, 20.7%) for the G and P genotype combination. GII.12 was the most common genotype (6/12, 50%) for NoV, followed by GII.4 (4/12, 33.3%), and we also identified a rare type (GII.19). The results of this study highlight the increased incidence of G3P[8] and the presence of many OP354-like P[8] RVs, as well as the GII.4 2003 Asia variant of NoVs. Furthermore, the first case of GII.19 of NoV in Vietnam is reported.