Evidence of Emergence of New GGII.4 Norovirus Variants from Gastroenteritis Outbreak Survey in France during the 2007-to-2008 and 2008-to-2009 Winter Seasons

Analysis of 316 outbreaks of gastroenteritis in France from September 2007 through March 2009 showed that genogroup II.4 (GGII.4) noroviruses were predominant and mostly belonged to the 2006b variant. However, the new GGII.4 variants, variant 2008 and the newly discovered Cairo variant from the Middle East, were also detected. The epidemiological survey suggests that these new variants might become the next predominant strains.