Multicenter comparison of two norovirus ORF2-based genotyping protocols.

ABSTRACT: Point source norovirus outbreaks can be difficult to track due to high background levels of the virus in the environment and the limited strain variation in some genotyping regions. However, rapid and accurate source identification can limit the spread of a foodborne outbreak and reduce the number of cases. Harmonization of genotyping assays is critical for enabling the rapid exchange of sequence data nationally and internationally. Several regions of the genome have been proposed for this purpose, but no consensus has been reached. In the present study, two standardized genotyping protocols (region C and region D) were evaluated by nine laboratories in Canada and the United States, using a coded panel of 96 fecal specimens representing 22 different norovirus genotypes. Overall, region C t

SUBMITTER: Mattison K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2786635 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature