title: Rotavirus strain surveillance--an Australian perspective of strains causing disease in hospitalised children from 1997 to 2007.
abstract: This study documents rotavirus strains causing severe disease in Australian children during the pre-vaccine era. During the period 1997-2007, rotavirus strains from national multi-centre hospital-based surveillance in Australia were analysed for G and P types. G1P[8] was the dominant genotype identified during the 11-year study, with intermittent peaks associated with genotypes G2P[4], G3P[8] and G9P[8]. The results provide baseline information of the G and P genotypes causing disease in Australian children, and highlight the unpredictable changes in genotype incidence that can occur on both a local and national level. To be optimally effective, rotavirus vaccines must prevent disease caused by all common rotavirus genotypes.
authors.affiliation: Enteric Virus Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. carl.kirkwood@mcri.edu.au
authors.forename: Carl D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Kirkwood
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boniface
authors.forename: Nada
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bogdanovic-Sakran
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Masendycz
authors.forename: Graeme L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Ruth F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Bishop
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000235:genetics*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*