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An epidemiological survey investigating the prevalence of rotavirus infection in infants and young children with acute diarrhoea was undertaken in Jos State, Nigeria, between January 1998 and April 1999. In total, 672 faecal specimens were collected from children aged between 1 and 60 months with acute infantile gastroenteritis. The 10-20% stool suspensions were examined by an ELISA for the presence of group A rotavirus antigen (Rotavirus IDEIA, Dako, UK). Only 116 specimens (17.3%) were positive for the group A rotavirus antigen detected by this ELISA. The rotavirus-positive specimens were analysed with monoclonal antibodies specific for rotavirus VP6 subgroup I and II, and for VP7 serotypes G1-G4, G8, and G9. Of the rotavirus strains that could be subgrouped, VP6 subgroup I and II strains circulated at similar levels. Amongst the strains that could be serotyped, VP7 G9 strains predominated occurring in 17 cases, with G3 (n = 10) and G1 (n = 9) strains occurring in lower numbers. Four G8 strains were detected and only one G2 and no G4 strains were identified. This report extends the description of the global distribution of G9 rotavirus strains.

The last decade has seen an increase in the detection of rotavirus strains other than G1–G4 emerging or even predominating in some settings. The performance of the current rotavirus vaccines against unusual or rare circulating rotavirus serotypes cannot be predicted and continuous monitoring of wild type rotaviruses will remain a priority. Routine molecular rotavirus surveillance conducted in the Gauteng Province, South Africa during 2004, resulted in the detection of strains that could not typed using standard G specific genotyping primers. Sequencing of the first round amplicons revealed 19 serotype G12P[6] strains and one G12P[8] strain. Phylogenetic analyses of the G12 strains indicated that these strains are probably a recent introduction into South Africa and emerged from a strain related to the Indian isolate ISO‐5. The association of the South African G12s with the P[6] genotype may suggest a mechanism for unusual strains to become more ecologically suited to local population transmission dynamics. This is the first report of serotype G12 strains on the African continent and continued surveillance will be required to track the emergence of G12 strains in Africa. J. Med. Virol. 81:106–113, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Background: Adenoviruses, particularly enteric adenoviruses (EAds) type 40 (Ad40) and type 41(Ad41), can cause acute and severe diarrhea in young children worldwide. This study was conducted to delineate the epidemiological features of adenoviruses identified in children with gastroenteritis in Northwestern Nigeria. Methods: All 282 specimens comprising 248 diarrheic and 34 non-diarrheic stools were randomly selected from 1063 stools previously analyzed for rotaviruses. These specimens were collected between July 2002 and July 2004 from children <5 years of age. The specimens were screened for the presence of adenoviruses using monoclonal antibody-based Enzyme Immuno Assay (EIA), (Adenovirus RIDASCREEN ® r-Biopharm, UK) and the positive specimens were further examined for Ad40 and Ad41 using Premier Adenoclone ® -Type 40/41 EIA (Meridian Biosciences, USA). Negative staining electron microscopy was performed on selected specimens to confirm the presence of adenovirus particles. Results: Adenovirus antigen was detected in 63/282 (23%) of the diarrheic diarrheic and in 6/34 (17.6%) of the non-diarrheic specimens. Adenoviruses were detected throughout the study period with most patients infected in the age group 25-36 months. The male-to-female ratio was 2.2:1 (43/20). Clinical features included fever (60%: 38/63), vomiting (56%: 35/63), mild dehydration (49%: 31/63), symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection (13%: 8/63) and abdominal pain (5%: 3/63). Analysis of stool specimen in adenovirus infected patients showed watery diarrhea in 87% (55/63), diarrhea with mucus in 19% (12/63) and diarrhea with mucus and blood in 3% (2/63). Ten (10) percent of the children were hospitalized due to gastroenteritis while 9 patients (14.3%) had co-infections with rotavirus. Human EAds were detected in 8% of specimens mainly in the dry season and among children older than 2 years. The principal symptoms were diarrhea (100%), dehydration (80%) and fever (80%). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that adenoviruses are important etiologic agents of gastroenteritis in Northwestern Nigerian children. Key words: Adenovirus, diarrhea, clinical features, children, NigeriaRésumé Introduction: Adénoviruses, les adénovirus entériques (Eads) de type 40 (Ad40) et le type 41(Ad41), en particulier, peuvent provoquer des graves diarrhées aigues chez les jeunes enfants partout dans le monde. Cette étude a été réalisée pour délimiter les caractéristiques épidémiologiques des adénovirus identifiées chez les enfants avec gastro-entérite dans le nord-ouest du Nigéria. (Biosciences Méridien, USA). Coloration négative microscopie électronique a été opérée sur des échantillons sélectionnées afin de confirmer la présence des particules d'adénovirus. Résultats: L'antigène d'Adénovirus a été détecté en 63/282 soit 23% de la diarrhéique et 6/34 soit 17,6% des échantillons non-diarrhoeques. Adénovirus ont été détectés tout au long de la période d'étude avec la plupart des patients infectés dans le groupe d'âge 25-36 mois. La proportion d...

Our study of rotavirus strains causing severe diarrhea in rural Kenyan children showed a predominance of P[8]G1 and confirms the importance of G8 and G9 strains in sub-Saharan Africa. Considerable genetic diversity of rotavirus strains was observed, including substantial mixed and unusual types, coupled with significant temporal strain variation and emergence. These results warn of variable vaccine efficacy and the need for long-term surveillance of circulating rotavirus genotypes.

The immune seroconversion response to the RIX4414 vaccine with 3 doses was not superior to the 2-dose regimen. There was no interference by either regimen with antibody response to oral polio vaccine, and RIX4414 was well tolerated when given with routine vaccinations.

The unusual serotype and genotype combinations of rotavirus circulating in the rural communities of the Limpopo Province highlight the need for more studies to monitor the geographic distribution of rotavirus strains in rural African settings.