title: High genetic diversity of species A rotaviruses detected in swine farms in Chile.
abstract: Rotavirus A is one of the main causative agents of diarrhoea in lactating and weaned pigs worldwide. Its impact in the swine industry is well documented. However, in Chile, the current epidemiological status of rotavirus on porcine farms is unknown. This study evaluated the current epidemiologic status of rotavirus A infection in Chile using on-farm detection techniques, electrophoretic confirmation, genotyping and phylogenetic clustering by analysis of partial sequences of VP4 and VP7 genes. Rotavirus A was detected in four out of five farms with an overall prevalence of 17.7 % in diarrhoeic pigs. The average age of diarrhoea onset was at 32±6.2 days, corresponding to weaning pigs, and rotavirus was not detected in lactating piglets. Molecular characterization indicated that genotypes G5, G3, P[7] and P[13] are currently the most widely represented on these pigs farms. The phylogenetic analysis showed that farms shared similar G types (VP7), which might denote a common origin. Meanwhile, [P] types (VP4) showed considerable genetic diversity, and this might represent a high rate of reassortment of this genetic segment in rotavirus circulating in the researched area. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering both the geographical and production factors to accurately determine rotavirus prevalence status at the national level, and have relevant implications in determining effective strategies for rotavirus infection control on porcine farms.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Agronomía, Universidad de Las Americas, Sede Providencia, Manuel Montt 948, Santiago, Chile.|Saponin Research Center, Limache 3405, Oficina 57, Viña del Mar, Chile.
authors.forename: Hernán
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cañon Jones
authors.affiliation: Desert King Chile S. A., Limache 3405, Oficina 57, Viña del Mar, Chile.
authors.forename: Hernan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cortes
authors.affiliation: Programa de Virología, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Avda. Independencia 1027, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gaggero
authors.affiliation: Programa de Virología, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Avda. Independencia 1027, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Levican
authors.affiliation: Saponin Research Center, Limache 3405, Oficina 57, Viña del Mar, Chile.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castillo-Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Saponin Research Center, Limache 3405, Oficina 57, Viña del Mar, Chile.|Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Bioprocesos, Facultad de Ingenieria, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Trinidad
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schlotterbeck
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Bioprocesos, Facultad de Ingenieria, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: San Martín
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D000072480:Farms; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C060339:VP4 protein, Rotavirus; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus