Norovirus Genotypes in Community and Hospital Settings in Bangladesh

Muhammad Talha, icddr,b

Muhammad Talha1, Mohammad Enayet Hossain1, Abdullah Al Faisal1, Asif Haque1, Reazur Rahman1, Zahid Hassan1, 2, Mst. Noorjahan Begum1, Kamrun Nahar1, Neha Balachandran3, Sara A. Mirza3, Aron J. Hall3, Paul A. Gastañaduy3, Syed M Satter1, Umesh D Parashar3, Jan Vinjé3, Mustafizur Rahman1 Affiliations: 1 icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh), Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh 2 Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jagannath University, Dhaka-1100, Bangladesh 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

Molecular Epidemiology & Evolution

Background:
The extensive genetic diversity of noroviruses poses a challenge to developing an effective vaccine. This study aims to compare norovirus genotypic diversity in young children from community and hospital settings in Bangladesh.
Methods:
From January 2020–September 2024, we conducted a birth cohort study in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in which stool specimens were collected weekly for 214 infants from birth until age 2 years. In parallel, stool specimens were collected from 3,664 children aged ≤2 years who visited icddr,b Dhaka Hospital with acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Norovirus testing was performed using one-step real-time RT-PCR, followed by Sanger sequence-based genotyping of samples with Ct