Emergence of Norovirus GII.17-associated Outbreak and Sporadic Cases in Korea from 2014 to 2015

ABSTRACT

Human norovirus are major causative agent of nonbacterial acute gastroenteritis. In general, genogroup (G) II.4 is the most prominent major genotype that circulate in human population and the environment. However, a shift in genotypic trends was observed in Korea in December 2014. In this study, we investigated the trend of norovirus genotype in detail using the database of Acute Diarrhea Laboratory Surveillance (K-EnterNet) in Korea. GII.17 has since become a major contributor to outbreaks of norovirus-related infections and sporadic cases in Korea, although the reason for this shift remain unknown.