Frequency and genotyping of group A rotavirus among Egyptian children with acute gastroenteritis: a hospital-based cross-sectional study

• Published in: Virology journal 2024-09, Vol.21 (1), p.238-10, Article 238
• Main Authors: Azzazy, Ensaf A, Amer, Rania M, Abdellatif, Ghada Mohammed, Abd-Elmoneim, Hala Adel, Abo-Alella, Doaa Alhussein
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Causes of; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnosis; Diarrhea; Diarrhea in children; Egypt - epidemiology; ELISA; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Feces - virology; Female; Gastroenteritis; Gastroenteritis - epidemiology; Gastroenteritis - virology; Genetic aspects; Genotype; Genotypes; Hospitals; Humans; Identification and classification; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infection; Male; Pediatric research; Prevalence; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rotavirus; Rotavirus - classification; Rotavirus - genetics; Rotavirus - isolation & purification; Rotavirus Infections - epidemiology; Rotavirus Infections - virology; Rotaviruses; RT-PCR; Sensitivity and Specificity; Statistics
• ISSN: 1743-422X; 1743-422X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02495-8

This hospital-based cross-sectional study aims to investigate the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of rotavirus group A (RVA) infection among children with acute gastroenteritis and to detect the most common G and P genotypes in Egypt. A total of 92 stool samples were collected from children under five who were diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis. RVA in stool samples was identified using ELISA and nested RT-PCR. Common G and P genotypes were identified utilizing multiplex nested RT-PCR assays. RVA was detected at a rate of 24% (22 /92) using ELISA and 26.1% (24 /92) using VP6 nested RT-PCR. The ELISA test demonstrated diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 91.7%, 100%, and 97.8%, respectively. G3 was the most prevalent G type (37.5%), followed by G1 (12.5%), whereas the most commonly detected P type were P[8] (41.7%) and P[6] (8.2%). RVA-positive samples were significantly associated with younger aged children (p = 0.026), and bottle-fed (p = 0.033) children. In addition, RVA-positive samples were more common during cooler seasons (p = 0.0001). Children with rotaviral gastroenteritis had significantly more frequent episodes of diarrhea (10.87 ± 3.63 times/day) and vomiting (8.79 ± 3.57 times/day) per day (p = 0.013 and p = 0.011, respectively). Moreover, they had a more severe Vesikari clinical score (p = 0.049). RVA is a prevalent cause of acute gastroenteritis among Egyptian children in our locality. The discovery of various RVA genotypes in the local population, as well as the identification of common G and P untypeable strains, highlights the significance of implementing the rotavirus vaccine in Egyptian national immunization programs accompanied by continuous monitoring of strains.