title: Epidemiology of rotavirus serotypes in Melbourne, Australia, from 1973 to 1989.
abstract: Fecal rotavirus strains collected between 1973 and 1989 from 943 children admitted with acute diarrhea to one hospital in Melbourne, Australia, were serotyped by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The assay incorporated neutralizing monoclonal antibodies specific for VP7 of the four major human serotypes (1 through 4). A serotype could be assigned to 690 of 943 specimens (73.2%). Typeable strains comprised serotype 1 (72.5%), serotype 2 (6.8%), serotype 3 (2.9%), or serotype 4 (15.4%). Monotypes 1a and 1c comprised 52 and 44%, respectively, of serotype 1 strains. All serotypes and monotypes exhibited polymorphic genomic RNAs. Specimens reacting as mixed serotypes were rare (3.2%) and included intertypic strains (0.7%) and mixed infections (1.0%). Nontypeable strains for which an electropherotype could be determined appeared to be identical with typeable strains present concurrently in the community. Serotypes exhibited various epidemiological patterns. Serotype 1 strains were dominant except during three successive winters when 60 to 90% of the disease was caused by serotype 2. Serotype 4 strains showed an episodic pattern of appearance, recurring at peak incidence approximately every 3 years. Fecal rotavirus strains collected from 145 newborn babies housed in Melbourne obstetric hospitals between 1974 and 1986 were also serotyped. All 135 typeable strains (93.1%) belonged to serotype 3. It is hypothesized that endemic infection with serotype 3 rotaviruses in nurseries for the newborn influenced the epidemiology of rotavirus serotypes responsible for severe clinical disease in young children in the same community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Unicomb
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Barnes
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus