title: Group A rotavirus in sewage samples from Barcelona and Cairo: emergence of unusual genotypes.
abstract: The presence of rotavirus strains in sewage samples from Cairo, Egypt (November 1998 to October 1999), and Barcelona, Spain (November 1998 to December 2002), was investigated by using a generic molecular detection method based on amplification of a VP6 gene fragment. Overall, 85.7 and 66.9% of the sewage samples from Cairo and Barcelona, respectively, were positive. Positive samples were characterized further, and VP7 and VP4 genotypes were determined. Although 30% of the positive samples from Cairo were G untypeable, the distribution of G types in the positive samples was 69.6% G1, 13% G3, 8.7% G4, and 8.7% G9. The percentage of untypeable samples was much higher for the Barcelona samples (56.5%), and the distribution in the positive samples was 56.4% G1, 31.5% G3, 6% G9, 4% G2, and 2% G5. When the P types were examined, 26.7% of the positive samples from Cairo were untypeable, and the distribution of types in the positive samples was 53.3% P[8], 30% P[6], and 16.6% P[4]. In Barcelona, 27.2% of the samples were P untypeable, and the frequencies of the types detected were 49.7% P[8], 37.2% P[4], 8.8% P[6], and 4.2% P[9]. The distribution for strains from Cairo was 38.5% P[8]G1, 27% P[6]G1, 11.5% P[4]G1, 11.5% P[8]G3, 7.7% P[6]G4, and 3.8% P[8]G9. Strikingly, equivalent frequencies of common and uncommon strains were observed for Barcelona samples, and the distribution was 38.8% P[8]G1, 30.6% P[4]G1, 11.6% P[8]G3, 6.6% P[4]G3, 5.8% P[6]G1, 1.6% P[6]G3, 1.6% P[9]G1, 0.8% P[4]G2, 0.8% P[6]G9, 0.8% P[8]G9, and 0.8% P[8]G5. Additionally, two P[-]G5 strains were isolated in Barcelona, and the porcine or human origin of these strains was unclear. Rotavirus variability exhibited not only a geographic pattern but also a temporal pattern.
authors.affiliation: Enteric Virus Group, Department of Microbiology, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Villena
authors.forename: Waled Morsy
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: El-Senousy
authors.forename: F Xavier
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Abad
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pintó
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bosch
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012722:Sewage / Q000821:virology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D012722:Sewage; C060339:VP4 protein, Rotavirus; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus