Comparative study of the epidemiology of rotavirus in children from a community-based birth cohort and a hospital in South India

J Clin Microbiol. 2006 Jul;44(7):2468-74. doi: 10.1128/JCM.01882-05.

Abstract

Rotavirus gastroenteritis is the major cause of severe dehydrating diarrhea in children worldwide. This study compares rotavirus diarrhea in 351 children in a community-based cohort and 343 children admitted to a hospital during the same period. Clinical information and fecal specimens were obtained during diarrheal episodes. Fecal samples were screened for VP6 antigen, and the positive samples were G and P typed by reverse transcription-PCR. Rotavirus was detected in 82/1,152 (7.1%) episodes of diarrhea in the community and 94/343 (27.4%) cases in the hospital. The median age of affected children (7.5 versus 10.5 months) and the mean severity of symptoms (Vesikari score, 7.6+/-3.4 versus 11+/-2.5) were lower in the community. A larger proportion of children in the community were breast-fed than were children admitted to the hospital (73% versus 34.8%). In the community, the genotypes identified in symptomatic patients, in order of frequency, were G1 (36.5%), G10 (17.1%), G2 (15.9%), and G9 (7.3%) and mixed infections (7.3%). The most common G-P combinations were G1P[8], G2P[4], G1P[4], and G10P[11]. The distribution of G types from hospitalized children was G1 (46.8%), G9 (19.1%), G2 (8.5%), G10 (1.1%), and 4.3% mixed infections. The most common G-P combinations were G1P[8] and G9P[8]. This study documents significant genetic heterogeneity of rotaviruses in the community and the hospital. G10P[11] strains resembling a vaccine candidate strain caused disease in the community, indicating the need for careful epidemiological studies as well as safety studies for the vaccine candidates.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Antigens, Viral / analysis
  • Breast Feeding
  • Capsid Proteins / analysis
  • Child, Preschool
  • Community-Acquired Infections / epidemiology
  • Community-Acquired Infections / virology
  • Diarrhea / epidemiology*
  • Diarrhea / physiopathology
  • Diarrhea / virology*
  • Feces / virology
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Hospitalization*
  • Humans
  • India / epidemiology
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Rotavirus / classification
  • Rotavirus / genetics*
  • Rotavirus / isolation & purification
  • Rotavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Rotavirus Infections / physiopathology
  • Rotavirus Infections / virology*
  • Viral Proteins / genetics

Substances

  • Antigens, Viral
  • Capsid Proteins
  • RNA, Viral
  • VP6 protein, Rotavirus
  • Viral Proteins