Viral gastroenteritis is a major public health
problem worldwide. In Ethiopia, very limited studies have
been done on the epidemiology of enteropathogenic viruses.
The aim of this study was to detect and characterize
noroviruses (NoVs) and sapoviruses (SaVs) from acute
gastroenteritis patients of all ages. Fecal samples were
collected from diarrheic patients (n = 213) in five different
health centers in Addis Ababa during June-September
2013. The samples were screened for caliciviruses by
reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
using universal and genogroup-specific primer pairs. Phylogenetic
analyses were conducted using the sequences of
the PCR products. Of the clinical samples, 25.3 % and
4.2 % were positive for NoV and SaV RNA, respectively.
Among the norovirus positives, 22 were sequenced further,
and diverse norovirus strains were identified: GI (n = 4),
GII (n = 17) and GIV (n = 1). Most strains were GII
(n = 17/22: 77.2 %), which were further divided into three
different genotypes (GII.4, GII.12/GII.g recombinant-like
and GII.17), with GII.17 being the dominant (7/17) strain
detected. GI noroviruses, in particular GI.4 (n = 1), GI.5
(n = 2) and GI.8 (n = 1), were also detected and characterized.
The GIV strain detected is the first from East
Africa. The sapoviruses sequenced were also the first
reported from Ethiopia. Collectively, this study showed the
high burden and diversity of noroviruses and circulation of
sapoviruses in diarrheic patients in Ethiopia. Continued
surveillance to assess their association with diarrhea is
needed to define their epidemiology, disease burden, and
impact on public health.