Human caliciviruses and pediatric gastroenteritis.

Surveillance using molecular diagnostic methods developed in the past decade shows that human caliciviruses, particularly the Noroviruses, are the most important cause of pediatric acute gastroenteritis, next to rotavirus. Noroviruses also cause severe gastroenteritis in children, requiring hospitalization. The Sapovirus, a morphologically and genetically distinct genus of calicivirus, cause mainly milder endemic pediatric gastroenteritis. Noroviruses and Sapoviruses are genetically and antigenetically diverse, and multiple genetic types cocirculate in the same community. Human caliciviruses still cannot be cultivated in cell culture or in an animal model. Significant progress has been made in the past decade in the classification, diagnosis, and vaccine development, as well as in the recent discovery of Norovirus recognizing human histoblood group antigens as receptors. Major developments in this field are expected to occur in the near future.