Rotavirus gastroenteritis in children in 4 regions in Brazil: a hospital-based surveillance study.
BACKGROUND
Rotavirus is a major cause of gastroenteritis in children. Knowledge of rotavirus genotypes is important for vaccination strategies.


METHODS
During 2005-2006, rotavirus surveillance studies were conducted in São Paulo, Salvador, Goiânia, and Porto Alegre, Brazil. Stool samples were collected from children <5 years of age who had diarrhea and were screened by the Rotaclone Enzyme Immunoassay for the presence of rotavirus. Confirmed rotavirus-positive samples were characterized for P and G genotypes by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
A total of 510 stool samples were collected. Of these, 221 (43.3%) were positive for rotavirus. Overall, G9 was the predominant G type, followed by G2, and G1; P[4] and P[8] were the predominant P types. The most frequent G/P genotype combination detected was G2P[4], followed by G9P[8], G9P[4], and G1P[8]. G2P[4] was the predominant type in Goiânia and Salvador; G9P[8] and G1P[8] were predominant in São Paulo and Porto Alegre, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence, seasonality, and genotype distribution of rotavirus infection varied in different regions in Brazil. With immunization programs, continuous monitoring of rotavirus types is important to detect novel and emerging strains.
Munford
Veridiana
V
Virology Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, MSD Brazil.
Gilio
Alfredo Elias
AE
de Souza
Eloisa Correa
EC
Cardoso
Debora Morais
DM
Cardoso
Divina das Dores de Paula
Dd
Borges
Ana Maria Tavares
AM
Costa
Paulo Sergio Sucasas da
PS
Melgaço
Irene Angela Melo
IA
Rosa
Humberto
H
Carvalho
Paulo Roberto Antonacci
PR
Goldani
Marcelo Zubaran
MZ
Moreira
Edson Duarte
ED
Santana
Ciria
C
El Khoury
Antoine
A
Ikedo
Fabio
F
Rácz
Maria Lucia
ML
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D012621:Seasons