Zoonotic aspects of rotaviruses.
Rotaviruses are important enteric pathogens of humans and animals. Group A rotaviruses (GARVs) account for up to 1 million children deaths each year, chiefly in developing countries and human vaccines are now available in many countries. Rotavirus-associated enteritis is a major problem in livestock animals, notably in young calves and piglets. Early in the epidemiological GARV studies in humans, either sporadic cases or epidemics by atypical, animal-like GARV strains were described. Complete genome sequencing of human and animal GARV strains has revealed a striking genetic heterogeneity in the 11 double stranded RNA segments across different rotavirus strains and has provided evidence for frequent intersections between the evolution of human and animal rotaviruses, as a result of multiple, repeated events of interspecies transmission and subsequent adaptation.
Martella
V
V
Department of Veterinary Public Health, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. v.martella@veterinaria.uniba.it
Bányai
Krisztián
K
Matthijnssens
Jelle
J
Buonavoglia
Canio
C
Ciarlet
Max
M
D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000821:virology; D004751:Enteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*
D012367:RNA, Viral