Human picobirnaviruses characterised in this study were serendipitously detected in a non-bacterial gastroenteritis outbreak when specimens were examined for the presence of human rotaviruses using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Of ten stool samples sent for virological examination, two, three, and one specimens were positive for human caliciviruses, picobirnaviruses, and both viruses, respectively. Partial sequences of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene were determined for three picobirnavirus-positive samples. The sequence identity among these three strains was 60% to 65% for the nucleic acid and 64% to 70% for the deduced amino acid sequences. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that each of the three strains clustered with strains identified in geographically separate areas. In contrast, human calicivirus strains co-incidentally identified, showed complete nucleotide sequence identity. These findings demonstrate a lack of common exposure to or point of source for picobirnavirus infection, suggesting that the outbreak was caused by human caliciviruses. Further studies are needed to determine the etiologic role and to establish the taxonomic basis of picobirnaviruses.

Between 1992 and 2000, a total of 4,173 rotavirus-positive samples were collected from two areas of Hungary. Of these, 2,020 specimens (48.4%) were analyzed for G serotype, using monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay and reverse transcription-PCR. By the two methods, 1,789 samples were specified as G1 (62%), G2 (12.2%), G3 (1.4%), G4 (6.4%), G6 (1.0%), G9 (2.9%), or mixed infection (2.6%), and the remaining 231 (11.4%) could not be G typed. The linkage between G and P type, subgroup specificity, and RNA profile was investigated with a sample subset. Among these specimens, we identified both the four globally common strains (P

Data on hospital admissions and laboratory reports were used to estimate the number of hospitalizations of children aged 14 y or less in three geographic regions of Hungary due to group A rotavirus infection. Between January 1993 and December 1996, 9182 hospitalizations for gastroenteritis occurred, of which 1946 (21%) were associated with rotavirus infection. Most (90%) ofthe rotavirus detections were among children aged 4 y or less. By extrapolation, an estimated 5000 rotavirus‐related hospitalizations (8.4/1000 children aged 4 y or less/y) occurred in Hungary during the study period. Marked seasonality of rotavirus infections was observed, with a peak of incidence from December to February. Rotaviruses with “long” RNA electropherotypes predominated each year, but in 1995/1996 20% of electropherotypes in the Budapest area were “short”. Effective surveillance is required for all children hospitalized for diarrhoea as part of a rotavirus immunization program in Hungary. □Age group, burden, electropherotypes, Hungaiy, region, rotavirus, season

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Rotaviruses are a major cause of gastroenteritis in children world-wide. Rotaviruses are antigenically complex, with multiple serotypes (G types). The first longitudinal study of group A rotavirus serotype (G type) distribution in Hungary is reported. Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies specific for G1, G2, G3, and G4 were used in an enzyme immunoassay to determine the antigenic variation of group A rotaviruses in two collections of stool specimens assembled from 1984-1992 in Baranya County, southwest Hungary, and from 1988-1992 at the Central Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Budapest. Ninety-two percent of the 1215 virus-positive samples were typed as follows: G1 (81%), G2 (4%), G3 (1%), G4 (5%), or mixed type (1%). G1 was the predominant type during the entire study period with the exception of the 1988/1989 rotavirus season in Baranya County when G4 predominated. Among G1 strains, different electropherotypes were detected with a shift of the predominant G1 electropherotype(s) each 2 to 3 years. G typing from two longitudinal collections established regional differences within Hungary in the prevalence of rotavirus antigenic types among children with rotavirus-associated diarrhea. These are the first longitudinal rotavirus typing results for Hungary and Central Europe.