A Narrative Review of Norovirus Gastroenteritis: More Global Attention Is Needed

• Main Authors: Cheng Xu, Jianguang Fu, Yefei Zhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Travel Medicine Center of Iran 2016-11-01
• Series: International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health
• Subjects: Norovirus; epidemiology; Diagnosis; vaccine
• Online Access: http://www.ijtmgh.com/article_40597_96b37f4aab1c671b58152f0198d82a51.pdf

Noroviruses (NoVs), an important pathogenic agent of foodborne illness, lead to acute and chronic gastroenteritis in humans of all ages and to travelers’ diarrhea. Many genotypes exist in nature; GII.4 is widely known as the most predominant. Outbreaks mostly occur in semi-closed settings. Although the disease is self-limited to person, many cases have resulted in death, which has raised more concerns. However, a lack of microbial culture techniques limits research and thus knowledge about these viruses. To date, there are no specific antiviral drugs that fight NoVs. Rehydration is the ideal approach at present for severe cases. The only way to prevent infection is to improve personal hygiene. So many variants and ambiguous evolution mechanisms make research for a vaccine much more difficult. In recent years, several vaccine candidates entered pre-clinical development. This review concentrates on summarizing the aspects of NoV structure, culture, genetic evolution, and the vaccine.