Genetic characterization of two G8P[8] rotavirus strains isolated in Guangzhou, China, in 2020/21: evidence of genome reassortment

Si-Jie Wang; Li-Na Chen; Song-Mei Wang; Hong-Lu Zhou; Chao Qiu; Baoming Jiang; Tian-Yi Qiu; Sheng-Li Chen; Lorenz von Seidlein; Xuan-Yi Wang

doi:10.1186/s12879-022-07542-9

Genetic characterization of two G8P[8] rotavirus strains isolated in Guangzhou, China, in 2020/21: evidence of genome reassortment

BMC Infect Dis. 2022 Jun 28;22(1):579. doi: 10.1186/s12879-022-07542-9.

Authors

Si-Jie Wang^#^{1

2}, Li-Na Chen^#², Song-Mei Wang^#³, Hong-Lu Zhou¹, Chao Qiu¹, Baoming Jiang⁴, Tian-Yi Qiu⁵, Sheng-Li Chen⁶, Lorenz von Seidlein⁷, Xuan-Yi Wang^{8

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
² Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of MoE & MoH, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
³ Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Training Center of Medical Experiments, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Viral Gastroenteritis Branch, Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁵ Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. ty_qiu@126.com.
⁶ Pediatric Center, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 253 Industrial Avenue Central, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. 2312745315@qq.com.
⁷ Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁸ Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. xywang@shmu.edu.cn.
⁹ Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of MoE & MoH, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. xywang@shmu.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. xywang@shmu.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: The G8 rotavirus genotype has been detected frequently in children in many countries and even became the predominant strain in sub-Saharan African countries, while there are currently no reports from China. In this study we described the genetic characteristics and evolutionary relationship between rotavirus strains from Guangzhou in China and the epidemic rotavirus strains derived from GenBank, 2020-2021.

Methods: Virus isolation and subsequent next-generation sequencing were performed for confirmed G8P[8] specimens. The genetic characteristics and evolutionary relationship were analyzed in comparison with epidemic rotavirus sequences obtained from GenBank.

Results: The two Guangzhou G8 strains were DS-1-like with the closest genetic distance to strains circulating in Southeast Asia. The VP7 genes of the two strains were derived from a human, not an animal G8 rotavirus. Large genetic distances in several genes suggested that the Guangzhou strains may not have been transmitted directly from Southeast Asian countries, but have emerged following reassortment events.

Conclusions: We report the whole genome sequence information of G8P[8] rotaviruses recently detected in China; their clinical and epidemiological significance remains to be explored further.

Keywords: China; Emergence; Gastroenteritis; Genotyping; Rotavirus.

MeSH terms

Animals
Genome, Viral
Genotype
Phylogeny
Rotavirus Infections* / epidemiology
Rotavirus* / genetics

Grants and funding

2018ZX09739002-006/National Science and Technology Major Project