Identification of porcine rotavirus-like genotype P[6] strains in Taiwanese children

J Med Microbiol. 2012 Jul;61(Pt 7):990-997. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.042499-0. Epub 2012 Mar 30.

Abstract

The molecular characterization of genotype P[6] rotavirus strains collected from children admitted to hospital with acute dehydrating diarrhoea during a 6-year surveillance period in Taiwan is described in this study. In total, three G4P[6] strains, one G5P[6] and one G12P[6] were characterized by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the VP4, VP7, VP6 and NSP4 genes. Whilst all four genes of the single Taiwanese G12P[6] strain clustered with the respective genes of globally common human rotavirus strains, the G4 and G5 strains showed remarkable similarities to porcine rotavirus strains and putative porcine-origin human P[19] strains reported previously from Taiwan. The overall proportion of porcine rotavirus-like strains in Taiwan remains around 1 % among hospitalized children; however, the circulation and sporadic transmission of these heterotypic strains from pigs to humans could pose a public-health concern. Therefore, continuation of strain monitoring is needed in the vaccine era to detect any possible vaccine breakthrough events associated with the introduction of such heterologous rotavirus strains.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Diarrhea / virology*
  • Gastroenteritis / virology*
  • Genotype
  • Hospitals
  • Humans
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Rotavirus / classification*
  • Rotavirus / genetics
  • Rotavirus / isolation & purification*
  • Rotavirus Infections / virology*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Sequence Homology
  • Swine
  • Swine Diseases / virology
  • Taiwan
  • Viral Proteins / genetics
  • Zoonoses / virology

Substances

  • RNA, Viral
  • Viral Proteins