The Molecular Epidemiology of Circulating Group A Rotavirus in Gwangju Metropolitan City, Korea: 2008~2012

Group A rotaviruses are a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. For the proper management of rotavirus infections, knowledge of the distribution of G and P genotypes including detection of emerging genotype is crucial. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe epidemiological changes in rotavirus gastroenteritis in Gwangju metropolitan city, South Korea. Stool samples were collected from 14,314 patients with diarrhea, who visited hospitals in Gwangju from 2008 to 2012. Samples were screened for rotavirus with Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay(ELISA) method and rotavirus P (VP4), G (VP7) genotypes were determined by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. And we performed nucleotide sequencing analysis. Among a total of 14,314 samples investigated 1,982 samples (13.8%) were ELISA positive. Genotyping of Rotavirus was performed using 526 rotavirus samples. The most prevalent circulating G genotype was G1 (40.5%), followed by G2 (27.6%), G3 (19.4%), G9 (9.7%), G4 (2.5%) and G12 (0.4%). The predominant type of P genotypes was P[8] (69.6%), followed by P[4] (27.8%) and P[6] (2.3%). In this study, 13 G-P combinations were detected. From 2008 to 2010, G1P[8] was the most prevalent, followed by G3P[8]. Whereas, 2011 and 2012, G2P[4] was the most common, followed by G1P[8]. Rotavirus gastroenteritis is a common disease associated with significant morbidity, mortality and economic burden. Ongoing rotavirus surveillance to understand the distribution of G and P genotypes will be critical for the development of effective prevention measurements.