Molecular characterization of group A rotavirus among children aged under 5 years in Tunisia, 2015-2017.

Molecular characterization of group A rotavirus among children aged under 5 years in Tunisia, 2015-2017. J Med Microbiol. 2019 Jun 25;: Authors: Bennour H, Fodha I, Bouazizi A, Ben Hamida-Rebaï M, Jerbi A, Fredj MBH, Lakhal S, Dhiflaoui A, Abdelberi S, Abbassi F, Boujaafar N, Fathallah A, Abroug S, Khlifa M, Trabelsi A Abstract The aim of the present study was to report the molecular characterization of human group A rotaviruses (RVAs) circulating in Tunisia. Stool specimens were collected from children under 5 years of age who had been hospitalized or were consulting for gastroenteritis in Tunisian hospitals between 2015 and 2017. All samples were screened by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of the VP6 gene specific for RVA. RVA-positive samples were further analysed for G/P genotyping by semi-nested multiplex RT-PCR. Among 454 tested samples, 72 (15.8 %) were positive for RVA. G1P[8] was the most prevalent detected strain (41.7%), followed by G9P[8] (32.8%), G2P[4] (7.5%), G12P[8] (7.5%), G1P[6] (3.0%), G2P[8] (1.5%) and G3P[8] (1.5%), with mixed infections in 4.5 % of cases. In the absence of a national anti-rotavirus vaccination strategy, RVAs remain the primary aetiological agent for gastroenteritis in Tunisian children. PMID: 31237533 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Journal of Medical Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: J Med Microbiol Source Type: research