title: Group- and type-specific serologic response in infants and children with primary rotavirus infections and gastroenteritis caused by a strain of known serotype.
abstract: Antibody response to group A rotavirus (RV), investigated in paired sera from 72 infants and young children with acute gastroenteritis caused by an RV infection, was diagnosed on the basis of a fourfold or greater rise in group A common RV IgG antibody titer. Virus-specific IgM was detected in sera from 64 patients showing seroconversion; these were considered primary infection. RV was detected in stools of 56 (77.8%) patients with serologic evidence of infection and 54 were considered primary infection isolates: 39, serotype 1; 11, serotype 4; and 2, serotype 2. Two could not be typed. Neutralizing antibody studies showed that in primary infections serotype 1 induced an antibody response to serotype 4 at least fourfold lower than the homotypic response; serotype 2 elicited antibody titers to serotypes 1 and 4 at least fourfold lower than homotypic titer; and serotype 4 infections produced a response to serotype 1 as high as the homotypic response. Of 12 patients with primary infection, virus was not typed in 2 or detected in 10; however, the infecting serotype was identified on the basis of distinct patterns of homotypic and heterotypic antibody response.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infectious Diseases, University of Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gerna
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarasini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torsellini
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Torre
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parea
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battaglia
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007223:Infant; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M