Etiological analysis of a sporadic norovirus infection case with negative antigen test results
ZHANG Shuyan
ZHAO Jincheng
FU Baoyun
CHEN Yan
LI Xiaojing
ZHANG Shiyue
Abstract：Objective To analyze the reasons for missed diagnoses caused by negative results of virus antigen detection in a sporadic norovirus infection case,and to explore the clinical significance of applying multiple laboratory detection techniques in combination for avoiding missed diagnoses and improving diagnostic accuracy.Methods For the fecal sample of a patient with acute gastroenteritis who visited the hospital in March 2025 and had a clear epidemiological history but whose norovirus antigen test was negative,both real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and metagenomic next-generation sequencing(mNGS)techniques were used for detection,and the results were compared and analyzed.Results This patient visited the hospital due to nausea and vomiting for 3 h.The result of the norovirus antigen test was negative,while the nucleic acid test was positive(Ct value 27.2).The results of the mNGS showed that it was norovirus GⅡ.17 type,with a homology of 99.30%.Conclusion For patients suspected with norovirus infection,relying solely on antigen detection may sometimes lead to missed diagnoses due to insufficient methodological sensitivity.In clinical practice,it is necessary to establish a collaborative detection network that uses antigen detection as the initial screening tool,nucleic acid testing as the basis for diagnosis,and mNGS technology as the means for tracing the source.This is crucial for avoiding missed diagnoses of norovirus infection,achieving early intervention,and blocking the spread of the epidemic.
Keywords：norovirusacute gastroenteritismissed diagnosisantigen detectionnucleic acid detectionmetagenomic next-generation sequencing
Publication Date：2026-03-13
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-20(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 1-5 )