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. 2017 Jan 26;22(4):30447.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.4.30447.

Steep rise in norovirus cases and emergence of a new recombinant strain GII.P16-GII.2, Germany, winter 2016

S Niendorf  1   2 , S Jacobsen  1   2 , M Faber  3 , A M Eis-Hübinger  4 , J Hofmann  5 , O Zimmermann  6 , M Höhne  1   2 , C T Bock  1
Affiliations

Steep rise in norovirus cases and emergence of a new recombinant strain GII.P16-GII.2, Germany, winter 2016

S Niendorf et al. Euro Surveill. .

Abstract

Since early November 2016, the number of laboratory-confirmed norovirus infections reported in Germany has been increasing steeply. Here, we report the detection and genetic characterisation of an emerging norovirus recombinant, GII.P16-GII.2. This strain was frequently identified as the cause of sporadic cases as well as outbreaks in nine federal states of Germany. Our findings suggest that the emergence of GII.P16-GII.2 contributed to rising case numbers of norovirus gastroenteritis in Germany.

Keywords: GII.P16-GII.2; Germany; emergence; norovirus; recombinant.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Laboratory-confirmed norovirus infections by calendar week and year of notification, compared previous seasons, Germany, week 26 2016–week 2 2017 (n = 56,384)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleotide sequence of a 357 bp region (ORF1) of genogroup II norovirus, Germany, 2016/17 (n = 14 representative samples)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleotide sequence of a 628 bp region of the P2 domain (ORF2) of genogroup II noroviruses, Germany, 2016/17 (n = 14 representative samples)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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