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Aims: To determine the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of norovirus (NoV) genogroup I (GI) and GII in Uruguay., Methods and Results: One hundred and sixteen sewage samples were collected in six cities (Bella Unión, Salto, Paysandú, Fray Bentos, Melo and Treinta y Tres) from March 2011 to April 2013, viruses were concentrated by ultracentrifugation and NoV studies were performed by semi-nested RT-PCR (partial capsid region). NoV were detected in samples from all the cities and detected in 72% (84/116) of the samples with nine of them belonging to GI, 48 to GII and 27 to both genogroups. Remarkably, a high genetic diversity was identified: GII.2 (n = 13), GII.4 (n = 13), GI.1 (n = 5), GI.4 (n = 5), GI.8 (n = 4), GII.13 (n = 4), GII.1 (n = 3), GII.6 (n = 3), GI.3 (n = 1), GI.5 (n = 1), GI.6 (n = 1), GII.3 (n = 1), GII.17 (n = 1). Interestingly, a complete replacement of GII.4 New Orleans 2009 by GII.4 Sydney 2012 variants during 2012 was evidenced., Conclusion: This study reveals a high circulation of different NoV GI and GII genotypes in sewage evidencing a replacement of GII.4 variants., Significance and Impact of Study: This approach can be used as an indicator of the presence of a new GII.4 variant which can originate an increase in acute gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide., (© 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of the recently identified human astrovirus (HAstV) and to increase the knowledge of the molecular epidemiology of classical HAstV detected in Uruguay., Methods and Results: Recently identified and classical HAstV genotypes were investigated by RT-PCR targeting the ORF1b and ORF2 genome regions in 20 samples obtained between September 2011 and April 2013 in two cities of the eastern region of Uruguay. Four of 20 samples (20%) were identified as MLB-1 genotype and it was found a new MLB-1 classification through the segregation of the worldwide reported MLB-1 strains in two genetic lineages proposed and named: MLB-1a and MLB-1b. Fourteen (70%) samples were positive for classical HAstV and 12 of them were successfully sequenced and genotyped as: HAstV-1 (n = 10), HAstV-2 and HAstV-5 (one sample each)., Conclusion: These results constitute the first report in the Latin American region concerning the molecular detection and characterization of MLB-1 HAstV strains in environmental samples., Significance and Impact of the Study: This study highlights the benefits of an environmental surveillance to study emerging enteric viruses circulating in human societies., (© 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)