Human infection with a P[14], G3 lapine rotavirus.
Group A rotaviruses are the main cause of severe diarrhoea in humans and animals throughout the world. We report the first description of a clinically apparent infection with a P[14], G3 rotavirus (strain B4106) in a hospitalized 6-year-old child. The VP7 gene of the B4106 strain had the closest sequence similarity (94% and 97% on the nucleotide and amino acid level, respectively) with strain 30/96 (P[14], G3), a lapine rotavirus isolated in an Italian rabbit in 1996 while the VP4 gene had the closest similarity with strain 30/96 on the nucleotide level (96%), and with lapine strains C-11 (P[14], G3) and Alabama (P[14], G3), isolated in the United States in the 1980s on the amino acid level (99%). The host restriction determinant gene NSP4 of B4106 was also most similar to lapine strain Alabama (95% nt identity and 97% aa identity). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the VP4, VP7, and NSP4 genes of the B4106 strain share a common evolutionary lineage with those of lapine rotavirus strains. We therefore hypothesize that a lapine rotavirus was able to cross the host species barrier and caused disease in a new host. The increasing detection of strains in humans that were previously believed to be restricted to animals raises questions whether interspecies transmission of rotaviruses is a common event in nature.
De Leener
Karolien
K
Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, BE-3000 Louvain, Belgium.
Rahman
Mustafizur
M
Matthijnssens
Jelle
J
Van Hoovels
Lieve
L
Goegebuer
Truus
T
van der Donck
Ingrid
I
Van Ranst
Marc
M
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D001483:Base Sequence; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D002648:Child; D005838:Genotype; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D014118:Toxins, Biological; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000737:chemistry
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; C081369:NS28 protein, rotavirus; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014118:Toxins, Biological; C060339:VP4 protein, Rotavirus; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins