Abstract
Rotaviruses are known to recognize human histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) as a host ligand that is believed to play an important role in rotavirus host susceptibility and host range. In this study, paired fecal and saliva samples collected from children with viral gastroenteritis, as well as paired serum and saliva samples collected from the general population in south China were studied to evaluate potential association between rotavirus infections and human HBGA phenotypes. Rotavirus was detected in 75 (28%) of 266 fecal samples and P[8] rotaviruses were found to be the predominant genotype. The HBGA phenotypes of the rotavirus-infected children were determined through their saliva samples. Secretor statuses were found to correlate with the risk of rotavirus infection and all P[8]/P[4] rotavirus infected children were secretors. Accordingly, recombinant VP8* proteins of the P[8]/P[4] rotaviruses bound saliva samples from secretor individuals. Furthermore, correlation between serum P[8]/P[4]-specific IgG and host Lewis and secretor phenotypes has been found among 206 studied serum samples. Our study supported the association between rotavirus infection and the host HBGA phenotypes, which would help further understanding of rotavirus host range and epidemiology.
Highlights
The secretor statuses of human hosts has been observed9–12, matching the histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) binding pattern that P[8] rotaviruses recognize the Leb and H type 1 antigens7
The A, B, H, Lea, Leb, Lex, and Ley antigens of the saliva samples of the 75 children with rotavirus infection were determined by EIA using specific monoclonal antibodies for HBGA phenotyping (Fig. 1)
A number of recent reports demonstrated that human rotaviruses recognize the HBGA carbohydrates in a P type-specific manner6–8,16–18, a phenomenon like what was observed in human noroviruses19–21.The HBGA binding sites of rotavirus have been identified on the VP8*, the head of the spike protein VP46,8, making the VP8* protein an excellent model for study of rotavirus-HBGA interaction
Summary
The secretor statuses of human hosts has been observed, matching the HBGA binding pattern that P[8] rotaviruses recognize the Leb and H type 1 antigens. A study performed among Tunisian children showed that P[8] rotaviruses infected both secretor and non-secretor individuals, which appeared to be conflicted with the above observed association. This discrepancy indicates the necessity for further population-specific studies to understand the role of host HBGA phenotypes in rotavirus infection and host ranges. We found that P[8] and P[4] rotavirus infections correlated with secretor statuses of the children. An association between P[8]/P[4] rotavirus-specific IgG antibody titers and their Lewis and secretor statuses were observed in the general population of similar area of China
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