F. O'Halloran et al., Molecular characterization of rotavirus in Ireland: Detection of novel strains circulating in the population, J CLIN MICR, 38(9), 2000, pp. 3370-3374
A collection of three hundred thirty rotavirus-positive stool samples from
children with diarrhea in the southern and eastern regions of Ireland betwe
en 1997 and 1999 were submitted to the Molecular Diagnostics Unit of the Co
rk Institute of Technology, Cork, Ireland, for investigation, These strains
were characterized by several methods, including polyacrylamide gel electr
opherotyping and G and P genotyping, A subset of the G types was confirmed
by nucleic acid sequencing. The most prevalent types found in this collecti
on included G1P[8] (n = 106; 32.1%), G2P[4] (n = 94; 28.5%), and G4P[8] (n
= 37; 11.2%), Novel strains were also detected, including G1P[4] (n = 19; 5
.8%), and G4P[4] (n = 2; 0.6%), Interestingly, mixed infections accounted f
or 18.8% (n = 62) of the total collection, with only 3% (n = 10) which were
not G and/or P typeable. Significantly, six G8 and five G9 strains were id
entified as part of mixed infections. These strains have not previously bee
n identified in Irish children, suggesting a greater diversity in rotavirus
strains currently circulating in Ireland.