Infection status and genotype of human astrovirus in children with diarrhea in Jiangxi, 2010−2020

  Objective  To understand the infection status and genotypes of human astrovirus in children with diarrhea in Jiangxi province from 2010 to 2020.

  Methods  Stool samples were collected from children with diarrhea under 15 years old in Jiangxi Children's Hospital. The nucleic acid of human astrovirus was detected by real-time RT-PCR. Some regions of ORF2 gene of samples which were positive for astrovirus nucleic acid were amplified and sequenced by RT-PCR.

  Results  A total of 2 403 stool samples were collected from 2010 to 2020, in which 72 were astrovirus nucleic acid positive, with a total positive rate of 3.00%. The overall positive rate was 3.03% in age group under 5 years old, and 84.72% of the infected children were under 2 years old. The infection rate of human astrovirus was higher during November-March. Gene sequencing found 47 sequences of the ORF2 region: 38 belonged to genotype 1, 1 belonged to genotype 2, 3 belonged to genotype 4, 1 belonged to genotype 5, and 4 belonged to genotype 6.

  Conclusion  Human astrovirus is an important pathogen causing diarrhea in children under 2 years old in Jiangxi. Astrovirus genotype 1 was predominant in Jiangxi from 2010 to 2020, but genotype 6 was detected in 2010.