title: Complete genomic sequence analyses of the first group A giraffe rotavirus reveals close evolutionary relationship with rotaviruses infecting other members of the Artiodactyla.
abstract: Group A Rotaviruses (RVA) have been established as significant contributory agents of acute gastroenteritis in young children and many animal species. In 2008, we described the first RVA strain detected in a giraffe calf (RVA/Giraffe-wt/IRL/GirRV/2008/G10P[11]), presenting with acute diarrhoea. Molecular characterisation of the VP7 and VP4 genes revealed the bovine-like genotypes G10 and P[11], respectively. To further investigate the origin of this giraffe RVA strain, the 9 remaining gene segments were sequenced and analysed, revealing the following genotype constellation: G10-P[11]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A3-N2-T6-E2-H3. This genotype constellation is very similar to RVA strains isolated from cattle or other members of the artiodactyls. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the close relationship between GirRV and RVA strains with a bovine-like genotype constellation detected from several host species, including humans. These results suggest that RVA strain GirRV was the result of an interspecies transmission from a bovine host to the giraffe calf. However, we cannot rule out completely that this bovine-like RVA genotype constellation may be enzootic in giraffes. Future RVA surveillance in giraffes may answer this intriguing question.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: O'Shea
authors.affiliation: UCD-Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mulherin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matthijnssens
authors.affiliation: UCD-Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: McCusker
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cashman
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Lynda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gunn
authors.affiliation: Herd and Veterinary Public Health Unit, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Marijke E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Beltman
authors.affiliation: UCD-Centre for Food Safety, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland; Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5AG, United Kingdom. Electronic address: sfanning@ucd.ie.
authors.forename: Séamus
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fanning
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001188:Artiodactyla / Q000821:virology*; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D023281:Genomics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017421:Sequence Analysis / Q000662:veterinary
keywords: Complete genome analyses; Giraffe; Group A rotavirus