ELECTROPHORETIC TYPING OF NOSOCOMIAL ROTAVIRUS INFECTION IN A GENERALPEDIATRIC UNIT SHOWING THE CONTINUAL INTRODUCTION OF COMMUNITY STRAINS

During 1989 stool specimens from hospitalised children with gastroente ritis at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital in South Africa were examined for the pre sence of rotaviruses. Overall 16% of the children were positive for ro tavirus. However, 43% of the rotavirus positive patients were infected in the hospital. Further characterisation of the rotavirus strains wa s performed by electrophoresis of the RNA genome and hybridisation ana lysis of the VP7 and VP4 genes present. The strains associated with no socomial infection were similar to those strains acquired in the commu nity. The majority of the strains, both community- or hospital-acquire d, were associated with a serotype 1 strain with a long electrophorety pe and bearing the Wa-like VP4 gene. Three minor rotavirus strains wit h a long electrophoretype were also observed to be circulating bearing serotype 1 or 4 VP7 genes and the Wa-like VP4 gene. Interestingly, a serotype 4 strain bearing the M37-like VP4 gene was identified to occu r almost exclusively in neonates although the gene was associated with diarrhoea in these cases. Two strains with differing short RNA electr ophoretypes were also observed, members of which hybridised to VP7 ser otype 2 and VP4 DS-1 type probes.