Characterisation of rotaviruses from children treated at a London hospitalduring 1996: Emergence of strains G9P2A[6] and G3P2A[6]

Rotavirus strains from 171 patients treated in 1996 at a children's hospita l in London were characterised. Use of a panel of typing monoclonal antibod ies for serotypes G1-4 identified 105 (61%) of the strains. The majority, 9 0 strains (86%), were serotype G1. Characterisation of G (VP7) and P (VP4) types using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was more effici ent, and 167 of 171 (98%) of the strains were identified this way. The pred ominant strains were G1P1A[8] (55%) and G4P1A[8] (17%), which are prevalent throughout the world; however, a significant number of cases were associat ed with genotypes not recorded previously in the United Kingdom. There were 21 (13%) cases associated with G9P2A[6] and 11 (6%) cases associated with G3P2A[6]. The majority (seven of 10) cases of infection in children older t han 3 years of age were caused by these two genotypes. A majority (15/21) o f G9P2A[6] strains were recovered from children admitted to the hospital, a nd five children were sufficiently dehydrated to necessitate intravenous re hydration. J. Med. Virol. 67:750-754, 2000. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.