title: Distribution of G (VP7) and P (VP4) genotypes in buffalo group A rotaviruses isolated in Southern Italy.
abstract: Group A rotaviruses are established agents of disease in buffalo calves. Early epidemiological studies in Italian buffalo herds revealed the predominance of strains with G8 specificity and detected strains with the rare, RRV-like, VP4 P[3] genotype. To acquire additional information on the VP4 and VP7 specificities of buffalo rotaviruses, a total of 125 fecal samples were collected from buffalo calves affected with diarrhoea, in seven dairy farms in Southern Italy. Rotaviruses were detected in 21 samples (16.8%) by an immunochromatographic assay and by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Analysis of the VP7 gene revealed that 57% (12 of 21) of the isolates were G6, 23.8% were G8 (5 of 21) and 19% (4 of 21) were G10. Analysis of the VP4 revealed that 71.4% (15 of 21) of the isolates were P[5] and that 28.6% (6 of 21) were P[1]. The most common combination of G and P types was P[5],G6 (57%), followed by P[1],G10 (19%), P[5],G8 (14%) and P[1],G8 (9.5%). While P[5],G6 rotaviruses are very common in Italian bovine herds, the antigenic combination P[1],G10 is unusual and presumably derives from reassortment between P[1] and G10 strains, that appear to be more frequent in buffaloes and bovines, respectively. The presence of bovine-like G and P serotypes suggests that in Italy the epidemiology of buffalo rotaviruses overlaps the epidemiology of bovine rotaviruses, presumably because of the strict species affinity and/or of the intermingled distribution over the same geographical areas of the buffalo and bovine herds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Animal Health, Section Infectious Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Naples, Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy. gpisanel@unina.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pisanelli
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martella
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pagnini
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Martino
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lorusso
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iovane
authors.forename: Canio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buonavoglia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000821:virology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D002020:Buffaloes; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002845:Chromatography / Q000662:veterinary; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005814:Genes, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; C060339:VP4 protein, Rotavirus; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus