title: Comparative studies of human rotavirus serotype G8 strains recovered in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
abstract: Epidemiological studies on the VP7 serotype prevalence of human rotaviruses in South Africa and the United Kingdom identified several strains which could not be serotyped as G1-G4 by monoclonal antibodies. Further analysis of these strains with a G8-specific monoclonal antibody and with probes for human rotaviruses confirmed them as G8 rotaviruses. These G8 strains exhibited a high degree of sequence identity when compared with each other and with other rotavirus G8 strains. Five South African strains were further characterized as VP6 subgroup I, but with a long RNA electropherotype, which is similar to the G8 strains previously isolated in Finland. In the UK strains, one was VP6 subgroup II with a long RNA electropherotype (similar to the Italian G8 strain). The other two were subgroup I with a short RNA electropherotype. None of these strains exhibited the super-short RNA electropherotype described in the prototype G8 strains recovered from Indonesia (69M).
authors.affiliation: MRC/MEDUNSA Diarrhoeal Pathogens Research Unit, PO Box 173, Medunsa 0204, Pretoria, South Africa1.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK2.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: MRC/MEDUNSA Diarrhoeal Pathogens Research Unit, PO Box 173, Medunsa 0204, Pretoria, South Africa1.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Peenze
authors.affiliation: MRC/MEDUNSA Diarrhoeal Pathogens Research Unit, PO Box 173, Medunsa 0204, Pretoria, South Africa1.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Pager
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Virology, Institute of Pathology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa3.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK2.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Cubitt
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology; D012703:Serotyping; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus; D014765:Viral Vaccines