title: Epidemiology of group A rotavirus infection after the introduction of monovalent vaccine in the National Immunization Program of Saudi Arabia.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of group A rotavirus (RVA) gastroenteritis and the distribution of the RVA genotypes as well as to determine a possible change in the age of occurrence of the RVA infection in the first 2 years after Rotarix® vaccine introduction in Saudi Arabia. This descriptive study included 850 hospitalized children <5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis (AG) between October 2013 and September 2015. Overall, 78 (9.2%) children were positive for RVA during the study period with a positivity rate ranging from 11.3% in the first year of the study to 6.8% in the second year. G1 (47.4%) was the predominant G type, followed by G2 (28.2%) and G9 (10.3%). The most common P type was P[8] (69.2%) followed by P[4] (25.6%). The decrease in the prevalence of G1P[8] from 51% to 37.1% was associated with an increase in the prevalence of G2P[4] from 21.6% to 33.3% during the 2-year study period. This study demonstrated a significant decrease in the prevalence of RVA-AG cases in the first 2-year period after vaccine introduction, especially in the age group between 1 and 12 months, and a reduction in the circulation of G1P[6]. The parallel rise and spread of G2P[4] in post-vaccination period might pose an impact to long-term vaccine efficacy. Continued surveillance studies in different Saudi regions are crucial to document the effectiveness of Rotarix® vaccine and evaluate the potential emergence of rare/novel RVA genotypes. J. Med. Virol. 89:429-434, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric, College of Medicine, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammed Saeed Zayed
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Al-Ayed
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ahmed Morad
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Asaad
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohamed Ansar
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.affiliation: Armed Forces Hospital, Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ali Abdullah
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hawan
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005838:Genotype; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: C492457:RIX4414 vaccine; D022243:Rotavirus Vaccines; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated
keywords: G and [P] genotypes; Rotarix® vaccine; acutegastroentereritis; group A rotavirus