Novel intergenotype human norovirus recombinant GII.16/GII.3 in Bangladesh

- A novel intergenotype recombinant NoV GII.16/GII.3 was identified in stool samples of two infants.
- Genetic analysis classified the pol gene as GII.16 and the cap gene as GII.3.
- The recombination breakpoint was located in the intersect of ORF1/ORF2.

Noroviruses (NoVs) are one of the major etiological agents of acute gastroenteritis in all age groups. In this study, we identified an intergenotype NoV recombinant strain in the fecal specimens of two male infants with acute diarrhea in Bangladesh. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the identified strains were recombinant NoV strains with a GII.3 capsid and a GII.16 polymerase gene. The recombination breakpoint was located in the ORF1/ORF2 overlap region. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a NoV recombinant GII.16/GII.3 strain worldwide.