Epidemiological Surveillance: Genetic Diversity of Rotavirus Group A in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong, China in 2019

Jie Ying Jiang; Dan Liang; Li Wang; Yun Xiao; Yu Feng Liang; Bi Xia Ke; Juan Su; Hong Xiao; Tao Wang; Min Zou; Hong Jian Li; Chang Wen Ke

doi:10.3967/bes2024.031

Epidemiological Surveillance: Genetic Diversity of Rotavirus Group A in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong, China in 2019

Biomed Environ Sci. 2024 Mar 20;37(3):278-293. doi: 10.3967/bes2024.031.

Authors

Jie Ying Jiang¹, Dan Liang², Li Wang³, Yun Xiao⁴, Yu Feng Liang⁴, Bi Xia Ke⁵, Juan Su⁵, Hong Xiao⁵, Tao Wang⁶, Min Zou³, Hong Jian Li⁷, Chang Wen Ke⁸

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, Guangdong, China;Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, Guangdong, China.
² Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, Guangdong, China;Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China.
³ School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China.
⁴ School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, China.
⁵ Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, Guangdong, China.
⁶ Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China.
⁷ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China.
⁸ School of Public Health, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, Guangdong, China;Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong Workstation for Emerging Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, Guangdong, China;School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China;School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, China;Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China.

PMID: 38582992
DOI: 10.3967/bes2024.031

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to understand the epidemic status and phylogenetic relationships of rotavirus group A (RVA) in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province, China.

Methods: This study included individuals aged 28 days-85 years. A total of 706 stool samples from patients with acute gastroenteritis collected between January 2019 and January 2020 were analyzed for 17 causative pathogens, including RVA, using a Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel, followed by genotyping, virus isolation, and complete sequencing to assess the genetic diversity of RVA.

Results: The overall RVA infection rate was 14.59% (103/706), with an irregular epidemiological pattern. The proportion of co-infection with RVA and other pathogens was 39.81% (41/103). Acute gastroenteritis is highly prevalent in young children aged 0-1 year, and RVA is the key pathogen circulating in patients 6-10 months of age with diarrhea. G9P[8] (58.25%, 60/103) was found to be the predominant genotype in the RVA strains, and the 41 RVA-positive strains that were successfully sequenced belonged to three different RVA genotypes in the phylogenetic analysis. Recombination analysis showed that gene reassortment events, selection pressure, codon usage bias, gene polymorphism, and post-translational modifications (PTMs) occurred in the G9P[8] and G3P[8] strains.

Conclusion: This study provides molecular evidence of RVA prevalence in the Pearl River Delta region of China, further enriching the existing information on its genetics and evolutionary characteristics and suggesting the emergence of genetic diversity. Strengthening the surveillance of genotypic changes and gene reassortment in RVA strains is essential for further research and a better understanding of strain variations for further vaccine development.

Keywords: Codon usage bias; Gene rearrangement; Genetic diversity; Infectious diarrheal disease; Phylogenetic analysis; Rotavirus.

MeSH terms

Child
Child, Preschool
China / epidemiology
Feces
Gastroenteritis* / epidemiology
Genotype
Humans
Infant
Phylogeny
Polymorphism, Genetic
Rotavirus Infections* / epidemiology
Rotavirus* / genetics