Rotavirus VP7, VP4 and VP6 genotypes co-circulating in Tehran, Iran, between 2003 and 2004

Abstract

Rotaviruses were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 92 out of 374 faecal samples collected between November 2003 and October 2004 at the Markaz Tebbi Koudakan Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from children aged 6 months to 5 years. Analysis of clinical and disease severity data showed a significant association between rotavirus infection and diarrhoea, vomiting and severe dehydration. Ninety-two samples (64 rotavirus ELISA-positive and 28 ELISA-negative samples) were sent to the Enteric Virus Unit, Virus Reference Department, Centre for Infection, Health Protection Agency, UK for rotavirus characterization by G-typing, P-typing and subgrouping (SG) using reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR, semi-nested PCR and sequencing methods. In this study, both common and uncommon rotavirus genotypes were detected. The most prevalent types were G1P[8], SGII (59.2%) followed by G9P[8] SGII (15.5%) which has not been previously reported from Iran. Unusual genotypes G1P[10] SGI (2.8%) and G12P[8] SGII (1.4%) and strains derived from reassortment between common co-circulating genotypes such as G1P[4] SGII represented 5.6% of strains. Mixed infections with combinations of G1+G4P[8] SGII and G1+G9P[8] SGII were also found. This contrasts with previous reports from Iran in which a small number of common rotavirus strains (G1 and G4) were found. This study highlights the need for continued surveillance and characterization of rotaviruses to take account of the rapid evolution and introduction of novel rotaviruses into the human population.

Molecular Epidemiology of Rotavirus Diarrhea among Children in Saudi Arabia: First Detection of G9 and G12 Strains

“…While this is the first study to describe the distribution of G and P types of rotavirus circulating in Saudi Arabia, there are at least two important observations that merit particular attention. First, we identified here the circulation of G9 strains for the first time in Saudi Arabia at a relative frequency of 11%, confirming and extending the previous observation made in Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait that globally spreading G9 strains have entered the Middle East (1,10,24). Although the G9 strains detected in Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait were not sequenced, the VP7 gene that was carried by the G9 strain isolated in Saudi Arabia (MD28) was shown to belong to lineage III (data not shown), a finding consistent with the globally emerging G9 strains (23,37).…”

Diversity of human rotavirus G9 among children in Turkey

“…There, serotype G1 is accounted for 38% of the infection followed by G4 (20%) and G9 (11%) . In Iran 24.5-35% of the diarrhea is caused by rotavirus [Khalili et al, 2004;Farahtaj et al, 2007]. Similar to the present study the most prevalent serotype in Iran is G1P[8](59.2%) followed by G9P[8] (15.5%) [Farahtaj , 2007].…”

“…A previous study in Iran also found G1 as the dominating serotype which was present in 82% of the samples followed by G2(13%) and Gnt (5%) [Khalili et al, 2004]. Of note, although in one sample only G12 was detected in Iran [Farahtaj et al, 2007], this serotype…”

Novel Light-Upon-Extension Real-Time PCR Assay for Simultaneous Detection, Quantification, and Genogrouping of Group A Rotavirus

“…Subgrouping of the VP6 protein of RV, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), has often been applied in epidemiological studies (9,13,15,17,24,33,38). However, the unreliability of serological methods to characterize rotavirus due to antigenic drift and cross-reactivity is a well-known problem (6,14).…”