Interspecies Transmission Of Rotaviruses Research Articles

Genomic characterization of a novel G3P[10] rotavirus strain from a diarrheic child in Thailand: Evidence for bat-to-human zoonotic transmission.

An unusual rotavirus strain with the G3P[10] genotype (RVA/Human-wt/THA/MS2015-1-0001/2015/G3P[10]) was identified in a stool sample from a hospitalized child aged 11months with severe gastroenteritis in Thailand. In the current study, we sequenced and characterized the full genome of strain MS2015-1-0001. On full-genomic analysis, strain MS2015-1-0001 exhibited the following genotype configuration: G3-P[10]-I8-R3-C3-M3-A9-N3-T3-E3-H6, which is identical or closely related to those of bat and bat-like rotavirus strains (MYAS33-like). Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis revealed that all 11 genes of strain MS2015-1-0001 appeared to be of bat origin. Our findings provide evidence for bat-to-human interspecies transmission of rotaviruses and important insights into dynamic interactions between human and bat rotavirus strains.

Evolving Rotaviruses, Interspecies Transmission and Zoonoses

Evolutionary biology has become one of the imperative determinants explaining the origin of several viruses which were either identified decades back or are recognized lately using metagenomic approaches. Several notifiable emerging viruses like influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola, Hendra, Nipah and Zika viruses have become the leading causes of epidemics and losses thereto in both human and animals. The sufferings are higher due to gastroenteritis causing viruses including Astrovirus, Calicivirus, Enterovirus, Kobuvirus Picobirnavirus, Sapelovirus, Teschovirus, and many more. Notably, the majority of the emerging viruses enclose RNA genome and these are more prone for insertions/mutation in their genome, leading to evolving viral variants. Rapidity in viral evolution becomes a big hitch in the development process of successful vaccines or antiviral. The prominent gastroenteric virus is rotavirus, which is a double-stranded RNA virus with a segmented nature of genome enabling higher reassortment events and generates unusual strains with unique genomic constellations derivative of parental rotavirus strains. Although most rotaviruses appear to be host restricted, the interspecies transmission of rotaviruses has been well documented across the globe. The nocturnal bats have been accepted harbouring many pathogenic viruses and serving as natural reservoirs. Indications are that bats can also harbour rotaviruses, and help in virus spread. The zooanthroponotic and anthropozoonotic potential of rotaviruses has significant implications for rotavirus epidemiology. Hitherto reports confirm infection of humans through rotaviruses of animal origin, exclusively via direct transmission or through gene reassortments between animal and human strain of rotaviruses. There is a need to understand the ecology and evolutionary biology of emerging rotavirus strains to design effective control programs.

Interspecies transmission of Rotaviruses among ruminants, dogs and humans: Current facts and remarks

Rotaviruses are considered to be a major cause of diarrhoea to humans as well as a wide variety of animals and may cause serious economic losses in livestock animals, especially swine and ruminants. This fact, along with the genetic diversity that characterizes members of the Rotavirus group, raised concerns regarding the potential of virus interspecies transmission among various species of animals and humans. Regarding the presence and the epidemiology of Rotaviruses in ruminants in association with closely related humans and dogs, research is limited and few data have been presented in recent years. In this review we present all the latest information regarding the distribution of genotypes of Rotavirus strains in ruminants, dogs and humans.

Multi-reassortant G3P[3] group A rotavirus in a horseshoe bat in Zambia.

Group A rotavirus is a major cause of diarrhoea in humans, especially in young children. Bats also harbour group A rotaviruses, but the genetic backgrounds of bat rotavirus strains are usually distinct from those of human rotavirus strains. We identified a new strain of group A rotavirus in the intestinal contents of a horseshoe bat in Zambia. Whole genome sequencing revealed that the identified virus, named RVA/Bat-wt/ZMB/LUS12-14/2012/G3P[3], possessed the genotype constellation G3-P[3]-I3-R2-C2-M3-A9-N2-T3-E2-H3. Several genome segments of LUS12-14 were highly similar to those of group A rotaviruses identified from humans, cows and antelopes, indicating interspecies transmission of rotaviruses between bats and other mammals with possible multiple genomic reassortment events.

Full genomic analysis of a G8P[1] rotavirus strain isolated from an asymptomatic infant in Kenya provides evidence for an artiodactyl‐to‐human interspecies transmission event

Group A rotavirus (GAR) G8P[1] strains, found sometimes in cattle, have been reported rarely from humans. Therefore, analysis of the full genomes of human G8P[1] strains are of significance in the context of studies on interspecies transmission of rotaviruses. However, to date, only partial-length nucleotide sequences are available for the 11 genes of a single human G8P[1] strain, while the partial sequences of two other strains have been reported. The present study reports the first complete genome sequence of a human G8P[1] strain, B12, detected from an asymptomatic infant in Kenya in 1987. By nucleotide sequence identities and phylogenetic analyses, the full-length nucleotide sequences of VP7-VP4-VP6-VP1-VP2-VP3-NSP1-NSP2-NSP3-NSP4-NSP5 genes of strain B12 were assigned to G8-P[1]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A3-N2-T6-E2-H3 genotypes, respectively. Each of the 11 genes of strain B12 appeared to be more related to cognate genes of artiodactyl (ruminant and/or camelid) and/or artiodactyl-derived human GAR strains than those of most other rotaviruses. Strain B12 exhibited low levels of genetic relatedness to canonical human GAR strains, such as Wa and DS-1, ruling out the possibility of its origin from reassortment events between artiodactyl-like human and true human strains. These observations suggest that strain B12 might have been directly transmitted from artiodactyls to humans. Unhygienic conditions and close proximity of humans to livestock at the sampling site might have facilitated this rare event. This is the first report on a full genomic analysis of a rotavirus strain from Kenya. To our knowledge, strain B12 might be the oldest G8 strain characterized molecularly from the Africa continent.

Human infection with a P[14], G3 lapine rotavirus

Group A rotaviruses are the main cause of severe diarrhoea in humans and animals throughout the world. We report the first description of a clinically apparent infection with a P[14], G3 rotavirus (strain B4106) in a hospitalized 6-year-old child. The VP7 gene of the B4106 strain had the closest sequence similarity (94% and 97% on the nucleotide and amino acid level, respectively) with strain 30/96 (P[14], G3), a lapine rotavirus isolated in an Italian rabbit in 1996 while the VP4 gene had the closest similarity with strain 30/96 on the nucleotide level (96%), and with lapine strains C-11 (P[14], G3) and Alabama (P[14], G3), isolated in the United States in the 1980s on the amino acid level (99%). The host restriction determinant gene NSP4 of B4106 was also most similar to lapine strain Alabama (95% nt identity and 97% aa identity). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the VP4, VP7, and NSP4 genes of the B4106 strain share a common evolutionary lineage with those of lapine rotavirus strains. We therefore hypothesize that a lapine rotavirus was able to cross the host species barrier and caused disease in a new host. The increasing detection of strains in humans that were previously believed to be restricted to animals raises questions whether interspecies transmission of rotaviruses is a common event in nature.

Detection, subgroup specificity, and genotype diversity of rotavirus strains in children with acute diarrhea in Paraguay.

Of a total of 220 stool specimens from children with acute diarrhea, mostly under the age of 3 years, collected in Paraguay between January 1999 and March 2000, 70 (31.8%) were found positive for rotaviruses (RV). Positive samples were characterized by electropherotyping and subgrouping. Sixty-one (87.1%) were classified as group A, subgroup II; one (1.4%) was classified as group A, subgroup I; six (8.6%) were group A, non-I non-II; and two (2.9%) were not tested. RV strains were G and P genotyped by reverse transcription-PCR. The following G types were detected: G4 (34.3%), G1 (21.4%), G2 (1.4%), and G9 (5.7%). Mixtures of human and animal genotypes were detected in 15 (21.4%) samples, and 11 samples (15.7%) were nontypeable. The following P types were detected: P[8] (48.6%), P[4] (1.4%), and P[1] (1.4%). A mixed type was found in 10% of samples, and an unexpectedly high percentage (38.6%) of nontypeable samples was found. The common human G- and P-type combinations P[8], G4 (15.7%) and P[8], G1 (14.2%) were detected. Mixed human and animal genotypes were observed as the following combinations: G4 + G5, G4 + G5 + G10, and G1 + G10 for G types and P[8]-P[1] for P types. The emerging G9 genotype was detected in four samples. These results show for the first time the diversity of RV circulating among children in Paraguay and contribute to the knowledge of this pathogen required to devise strategies to prevent diarrheal illness in this country. The finding of mixed genotypes may indicate interspecies transmission of RV between humans and animals.

Serological and genomic characterization of porcine rotaviruses in Thailand: detection of a G10 porcine rotavirus

A total of 557 fecal specimens collected from piglets with diarrhea in Thailand were examined for rotavirus RNA by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Twenty-three, one, and two samples were positive for group A, group B, and group C rotaviruses, respectively. Two samples exhibited two segments found in picobirnavirus RNA. RNA electropherotyping of 23 group A rotaviruses showed that they were classified into five patterns. By serotyping by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and PCR, viruses in 3 and 14 specimens were found to be serotype G3 and serotype G10, respectively. For one specimen, containing a serotype G10 virus (strain P343), virus was isolated in MA-104 cells, and the nucleotide sequences of the VP7 and VP4 genes were determined. Comparative sequence analysis and cross-neutralization tests showed that strain P343 has B223-like G10 and UK-like P7 serotype (or VP4 genotype 5) specificities. Rotaviruses having such antigenic specificities have not been detected in piglets. Thus, the interspecies transmission of rotaviruses between cows and pigs was suggested.

Identification of feline- and canine-like rotaviruses isolated from humans by restriction fragment length polymorphism assay.

Restriction fragment length polymorphism assay of reverse-transcribed and polymerase chain reaction-amplified rotavirus gene segment 9 was developed to differentiate human serotype 3 rotaviruses from animal serotype 3 rotaviruses. On the basis of similarities or differences in HinfI and DdeI restriction profiles, unusual group A serotype 3 human rotaviruses that belonged to subgroup I were shown to be of feline and canine origin. By this approach, the new human rotavirus isolates 5193, AU-387, AU-720, AU-785 and AU-1115 were shown to resemble certain feline-like human rotaviruses. Similar results were previously obtained by Nakagomi et al. (O. Nakagomi, A. Hoshima, Y. Aboudy, I. Shif, M. Mochizuki, T. Nakagomi, and T. Gotlieb-Stematsky. J. Clin. Microbiol. 28:1198-1203, 1990) by using RNA-RNA cross hybridization with established feline rotaviruses. The restriction fragment length polymorphism assay can provide fast and valuable information on the interspecies transmission of rotaviruses in nature.

Interspecies transmission of rotaviruses studied from the perspective of genogroup.

Interspecies transmission of rotaviruses studied from the perspective of genogroup.