Evolution of Norovirus

Norovirus (NoV) is now the dominant aetiological agent of acute gastroenteritis and with the recent introduction of rotavirus vaccines in many countries, this is likely to remain the case. NoV, has a significant impact on human well-being in terms of morbidity, economic costs and mortality in developing countries. NoVs are divided into six genogroups (GI–GVI), but only GI, GII and GIV are known to infect humans, with GII being the most prevalent causing over 95% of human infections. The immune system is thought to drive selection of emerging pandemic NoVs through both antigenic drift and shift. This phenomenon results in replacement of dominant circulating viruses approximately every 3 years, with new variants able to re-infect hosts previously infected with earlier viruses. This review explores the evolutionary aspects of contemporary NoVs (read more)