title: Electropherotypes and subgroups of group A rotaviruses circulating among diarrhoeic children in Kano, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is estimated that about 600,000 children die annually as a result of severe dehydrating diarrhea caused by rotaviruses. The virus is a double stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus with 11 segments. Group A rotaviruses show a characteristic 4-2-3-2 pattern following electrophoresis. The VP6 subgroups, I and II exist. This work was carried out to study the prevalence of rotavirus infection among children 0-5 years with diarrhea in Kano, and to determine the circulating subgroups and electropherotypes and of the rotavirus isolates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and eighteen stool specimens from children 0-60 months (198 diarrheic and 20 non-diarrheic) were collected from different hospitals and health care centers in Kano and subjected to group A rotavirus enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine presence of group A rotavirus, subgroup ELISA to determine the VP6 subgroups and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to determine the electropherotypes present.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The long electropherotypes (47.05%) of four variations dominated over the short electropherotype (17.64%). About 11.76% of the isolates were of mixed infection. Dominance of subgroup II (45%) over subgroup I (25%), and the presence of both subgroups I and II (10%) and neither subgroup I nor II (15%) was observed in this study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Information on the genomic diversity of the RNA electropherotypes in this region, Kano, is reported in this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. asabezik@yahoo.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dzikwi
authors.forename: J U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Umoh
authors.forename: J K P
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kwaga
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: deBeer
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Steele
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology