title: Changing distribution of human rotavirus serotypes during two epidemic outbreaks of gastroenteritis in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, 2003-2004: detection of G6 strains.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rotavirus serotypes G1-G4 and G9 are the most important agents of severe diarrhea in children worldwide.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize rotavirus serotypes/genotypes causing two large outbreaks of diarrhea in Campinas, São Paulo, during 2003-2004.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rotavirus infection was investigated in 328 stool specimens collected from children and adults with diarrhea by PAGE and RT-PCR and further characterized by semi-nested PCR-typing assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  G3P[8] (26.1%), G9P[8] (18.7%) and G1P[8] (17.9%) were the most frequently detected serotypes/genotypes. G1P[8] was predominant in 2003, but significantly decreased the following year when G3P[8] and G9P[8] prevailed. G5P[8] was identified in about 9% of the typed specimens from each year consistent with its endemic nature in Brazil for over two decades. The other globally common serotypes (G4P[8] and G2P[4]), uncommon G-P combinations, and multiple G serotypes were also found. Rarely found in humans, and not previously reported in Brazil, serotype G6 was identified in three specimens obtained from children in 2004.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple rotavirus serotypes were observed co-circulating in the city with serotype predominance changing between the two-year study. This study provides pre-vaccine baseline information on locally endemic strains that might help analysis of post-vaccine data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Biology, CP 6109, UNICAMP, CEP 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Izabel J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Guilherme M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Gennari
authors.forename: Sandra S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Vera S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Gouvêa
authors.forename: Maria Silvia Viccari
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gatti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D012703:Serotyping