The Initial Timing and Burden of Viral Gastrointestinal Infections in Australian Infants: A Birth Cohort Study.

Abstract: The timing and nature of initial infections by potentially vaccine-preventable gastrointestinal viruses (group-F adenoviruses, classic human astrovirus, norovirus I/II, and sapovirus I/II/IV/V) was investigated in a community-based birth cohort. Weekly stool samples were collected from 158 children aged <2 years in an Australian subtropical city. Median age at initial infection was lowest for norovirus II (13.8 months) followed by sapovirus (14.3 months) and classic human astrovirus (17.6 months), and was >24 months for the remaining viruses. Norovirus II and sapovirus were most often associated with acute gastroenteritis symptoms (57% and 44%, respectively). Overall, healthcare was sought for 45% of symptomatic initial infections, which varied between 17% for norovirus I to 55% for norovirus II. Age at initial infection was lower when participants were exposed to other children. Norovirus II and sapovirus were the most important pathogens in this cohort, providing further evidence for them being priority targets for vaccine development.
Competing Interests: Sources of Funding and Conflicts of Interest: The Observational Research in Childhood Infectious Diseases (ORChID) study was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grant (GNT615700) and a program grant from the Children's Health Foundation Queensland (CHFQ) (5006). G.M. is a recipient of a Higher Degree Research Scholarship from the Australian Government Research Training Program. S.B.L was the recipient of an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship and a CHFQ Mid-career Fellowship. K.G. participated in a rotavirus strain outbreak advisory board for GlaxoSmithKline, Rixensart, Belgium.
(Copyright © 2021 by European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.)