title: Changing patterns of rotavirus genotypes in ghana: emergence of human rotavirus G9 as a major cause of diarrhea in children.
abstract: Genotyping of human rotaviruses was performed on 312 rotavirus-positive samples collected from 2,205 young children with diarrhea in the Upper East District of Ghana, a rural community. Of the 271 (86.9%) rotavirus strains that could be VP7 (G) or VP4 (P) characterized, 73 (26.9%) were of G9 specificity. The predominant G9 genotype was G9P[8], which constituted 79.5% of all G9 strains detected, followed by G9P[6] (12.3%), G9P[10] (2.7%), and G9P[4] (1.3%). G9 strains with mixed P types constituted 2.7% of all G9 strains found in the study. All the G9P[8] strains had a long RNA electrophoretic pattern with VP6 subgroup II specificity. Four G9 isolates, GH1319, GH1416, GH3550, and GH3574, which were selected based on the abundance of stool material and were representative of the three electropherotypes observed, were cloned and sequenced. The Ghanaian isolates shared more than 98% sequence nucleotide homology with other G9 strains from the United States (US1205), Malawi (MW69), Brazil (R160), Japan (95H115), and Nigeria (Bulumkutu). However, they showed only 95% nucleotide homology with the Thai G9 strain Mc345. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleic acid sequence revealed the existence of at least three clusters, with Ghanaian strains forming one cluster, Nigerian and Brazilian strains forming a second cluster, and U.S., Malawian, and Japanese strains forming a third.
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon. garmah@noguchi.mimcom.net
authors.forename: George E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Armah
authors.forename: Andrew Duncan
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.forename: Fred N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Binka
authors.forename: Mathew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Esona
authors.forename: Richard Harry
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Asmah
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Anto
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Felicity
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cutts
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005838:Genotype; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus