Shedding of rotavirus after administration of the tetravalent rhesus rotavirus vaccine.
BACKGROUND
The tetravalent rhesus rotavirus vaccine (RV-TV) has been administered to several thousand children in multiple settings throughout the world. It has been proved safe and efficacious, resulting in an application for licensure in 1997. However, only limited information has been reported on viral shedding after RV-TV vaccination.


METHODS
Stool specimens were collected between Days 3 and 5 after administration of each of 3 doses of RV-TV to 248 subjects 6 to 12 weeks of age in 8 centers across the United States. Rotavirus antigen was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the number of subjects who shed after each dose. The relative quantities of vaccine strains shed were then determined by plaque purification and serotype analysis.


RESULTS
Rotavirus shedding was detected in 125 (50.4%) subjects, and 19 shed after more than 1 dose. Although fewer subjects shed rotavirus after Dose 2 (14.5%), shedding after Doses 1 (26.0%) and 3 (22.5%) were comparable. After plaque purification and serotyping, most viruses shed (76.2%) were identified as G3 after Dose 1, but a major shift to G2 strains was found after Doses 2 (61.3%) and 3 (69.0%).


CONCLUSIONS
Sequential RV-TV administrations caused no overall significant decrease in the number of vaccinees who experienced detectable shedding. A major shift in shedding was found from the serotype G3 vaccine strain (RRV) after the first dose of vaccine to the serotype G2 reassortant after Doses 2 and 3.
Ward
R L
RL
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. wardd0@chmcc.org
Dinsmore
A M
AM
Goldberg
G
G
Sander
D S
DS
Rappaport
R S
RS
Zito
E T
ET
D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017201:Virus Shedding / Q000276:immunology*
D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines; D014765:Viral Vaccines; C052014:rhesus rotavirus vaccine