G3P2 rotaviruses causing diarrhoeal disease in neonates differ in VP4, VP7 and NSP4 sequence from G3P2 strains causing asymptomatic neonatal infection

Abstract

During longitudinal epidemiological studies of rotavirus infections in children in Melbourne, Australia human G3P2 rotavirus strains causing asymptomatic or symptomatic infections have been identified. Eleven strains (AS strains) associated with asymptomatic infection of newborn babies from 1974-1984, and five strains (S strains) associated with symptomatic infection of newborn babies (4) or a 22 week old infant (1) during 1980-1986 were studied. The entire nucleotide sequences of genes coding for VP4, VP7, NSP4 and VP6 were derived for representative AS and S strains. The nucleotide sequences of neutralization epitope regions present on the outer capsid proteins VP4 and VP7 (regions C and F..