Indication and genotyping of rotaviruses group in children on the territory of Ukraine

According to the literature, diarrhoeal diseases can be caused by viruses that belong to different species (rotaviruses, caliciviruses, intestinal adenoviruses, astroviruses), but rotaviruses are most often the cases of severe diarrhoea with fatal consequences. The aim of the present study was the investigation of rotavirus circulation among children under 5 years old, hospitalized with severe diarrhoea in different regions of Ukraine and rotavirus genotype identification. Stool specimens were selected from 600 young children under 5 year old, hospitalized in 6 Ukrainian regions: South, North, West, East, Center and Kyiv from 2006 to 2009. The detection of rotaviruses (group A) was performed by chromatographic immunoassay (CITO TEST ROTA, Test Biotec. S.L., Spain). All specimens positive for rotaviruses were confirmed and identified by RT-PCR (AmpliSens® Rotavirus-290, InterLabService, Russia). It was shown that proportion of severe diarrhoea, caused by rotaviruses in 5 regions of Ukraine in the period of study was: in the East - 10% in the South - 44,5% in the North - 24,8% in the West - 45,4%, in the Centre - 21,1%. The winter-spring seasonality was confirmed, and it was found that in the age group of children under 3 years the average frequency of rotavirus identification was the highest and amounted to 70,1 ± 4,0%. As a result among 210 positive samples it was detected G-genotype in 182 cases (86,7%) and P-genotype in 176 cases (83,8%). Pgenotype and G-genotype were not identified in 3,3% and 4,3% of samples, respectively. In 5,7% of samples both genotypes were not identified. It was shown that during each epidemic season from 2006 to 2009 in Ukraine G1P[8] was the dominant genotype, which varied from 30% to 80% of all positive samples. The second most distributed genotype was G4P[8] (40%), third - genotype G3P[8] (25%), and the fourth - G2P[8] (11%). During the epidemic period 2006-2009 in Kiev, for the first time genotype G9P[8] was identified in 5% of cases. Thereafter it was found seldom during 2007, then appeared in rare cases. In some clinical samples multiple genotypes were identified: G1P[8] + G3; G1P[8] + G2; G3P[8] + G4. Genetic variant G2P[4] was the cause of rare cases of diarrhoea during the studied period. For the first time the features of rotavirus group A circulation in Ukraine among children under 5 years old were shown. The obtained data of the major rotavirus genotypes has a great importance in deciding the implementation of specific prevention of rotavirus diarrhoea in Ukraine