TY - JOUR T1 - Characterization of new recombinant noroviruses A1 - Ambert Balay,K A1 - Bon,F A1 - Le Guyader,Soizick A1 - Pothier,P A1 - Kohli,E AD - CHU Dijon, Virol Lab, Reference Lab Ethn Viruses, F-21079 Dijon, France. AD - Univ Dijon, UFR Med, UFR Pharm, F-21079 Dijon, France., F-21079 Dijon, France. AD - IFREMER, Microbiol Lab, F-44311 Nantes, France. UR - https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/1234/ DO - 10.1128/JCM.43.10.5179-5186.2005 KW - Genogroup KW - RNA recombination KW - Gastroenteritis KW - Round structured virus KW - Reverse transcription KW - Norovirus N2 - Noroviruses are important etiologic agents of acute gastroenteritis and show great genetic diversity. To characterize more fully previously detected strains that could not be assigned unequivocally to one particular genotype based on the RNA polymerase, we have sequenced a region in the capsid gene and, in some cases, in the junction between open reading frame 1 (ORF1) and ORF2. The results allowed us to identify several recombinant noroviruses: GGHb viruses were detected for the first time in France in August 2000 and then spread through France and to Europe during the following winter. Here we present the characterization of three other probable GII recombinants which showed different phylogenetic positions depending on their ORF1 and ORF2 sequences. Analysis of the region located between ORF1 and ORF2 by a nucleotide identity window search showed a sudden shift in similarities. Moreover, recombination breakpoints were identified upstream and downstream of the beginning of ORF2 by using a statistical test, thus confirming the involvement of this region in recombination. Unlike GGHb, the three recombinants described here do not seem to have diffused widely in the community: one was found in a waterborne outbreak, and the other two were found in sporadic cases. Recombination is important for the evolution of RNA viruses and has already been described for noroviruses. Our results suggest that recombination is not a rare phenomenon among noroviruses, but not all these presumed recombinants that formed during RNA replication are able to spread widely. Y1 - 2005/10 PB - American Society for Microbiology JF - Journal of Clinical Microbiology SN - 0095-1137 VL - 43 IS - 10 SP - 5179 EP - 5186 ID - 1234 ER -