Detection and characterization of group C rotavirus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1997-2003.
The role of group C rotaviruses as a cause of diarrhea was examined among children <17 years of age admitted to a Hospital in a suburban area of Buenos Aires, Argentina between 1997 and 2003. A total of 1,579 fecal samples were screened for group A (RVA) and C (RVC) rotaviruses by two in-house ELISA methods at Quilmes University (UNQ-ELISA). Samples positive, doubtful and negative by RVC specific UNQ-ELISA (n = 246) were examined further for RVC by another in-house ELISA (CDC-ELISA), electron microscopy, RT-PCR, nested PCR, and Southern hybridization. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for each test were determined. While the sensitivity was comparable for the nested PCR and CDC-ELISA methods (82.5%), the molecular methods were slightly more specific. Poorly preserved particles were often seen in fecal samples, suggesting that degradation of RNA could be a factor influencing the performance of molecular methods. The incidence of RVC was estimated to be 3% without apparent differences among seasons. RVC infected patients had a significantly (P < 0.001) higher median age (6 years vs. 1 year) than those with RVA infection. Sequence of the RVC VP7 gene from six Argentinean strains and sequences reported previously in different countries showed high nucleotide (94.4-99.9%) sequence identities, indicating a high degree of conservation for human RVC VP7 genes among strains collected on five continents over a period of 17 years. These findings indicate that RVC is a significant cause of diarrhea and it is necessary to develop simple and sensitive serological methods for its detection.
Castello
Alejandro A
AA
Division of Viral Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. acastello@unq.edu.ar
Argüelles
Marcelo H
MH
Rota
Rosana P
RP
Humphrey
Charles D
CD
Olthoff
Alicia
A
Gentsch
Jon R
JR
Glass
Roger I
RI
Glikmann
Graciela
G
Jiang
Baoming
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001118:Argentina; D015139:Blotting, Southern / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000821:virology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral