[Rotavirus surveillance data from Kunming Children's Hospital, 1998 - 2001].
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.
Zhang
Li-jie
LJ
National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100052, China.
Du
Zeng-qing
ZQ
Zhang
Qing
Q
Kang
Hong-yu
HY
Zheng
Li-shu
LS
Liu
Xiao-mei
XM
Xie
Hua-ping
HP
Yang
Hong-yan
HY
Wang
Yan-chun
YC
Ivanoff
B
B
Glass
R I
RI
Bresee
J S
JS
Jiang
X
X
Kilgore
P E
PE
Fang
Zhao-yin
ZY
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