title: [Rotavirus surveillance data from Kunming Children's Hospital, 1998 - 2001].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the epidemiological status on rotavirus diarrhea in Kunming to improve the rotavirus vaccine immunization program.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hospital-based sentinel surveillance program for rotavirus was set up among children less than 5 years old with acute diarrhea in Kunming Children's Hospital. Clinical information and fecal specimens were collected and rotavirus were detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and/or enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive specimens were further serotyped or genotyped by ELISA and/or RT-PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the three years of surveillance, 466 specimens were collected. Rotavirus were detected on 246 (52.8%) specimens. 97% of the rotavirus diarrhea cases occurred among children less than 2 years old. There was a peak of admissions for rotavirus diarrhea cases between October and December which accounted for 48% of all the rotavirus hospitalizations each year. Among 204 specimens with G serotyping, the predominant strain was serotype G1 (47.5%) followed by G2 (17.6%), G3 (15.7%), G9 (4.9%) and G4 (1.0%). Mixed infection (2.5%) were rare and 22 specimens (10.8%) remained non-typeable. P genotyping showed P[4], P[8] and P[6] were the most common strains, accounting for 29.3%, 27.6% and 13.8% respectively. P[4]G2 was the most common strain which accounted for 34.1% (14/41) followed by P[8]G1 (29.3%) and P[6]G9 (12.2%). Another 7 uncommon P-G combinations were also identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rotavirus was the major cause of acute diarrhea in Kunming. An effective rotavirus vaccine for prevention and control of rotavirus diarrhea should be developed.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100052, China.
authors.forename: Li-jie
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zeng-qing
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hong-yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Li-shu
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xiao-mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hua-ping
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Hong-yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yan-chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ivanoff
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bresee
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Kilgore
authors.forename: Zhao-yin
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000821:virology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D012703:Serotyping