OBJECTIVE: To establish baseline patterns of
rotavirus diarrhea and to describe its
epidemiologic features in Changchun city,
prior to
rotavirus vaccine immunization. METHODS: Hospital-based
surveillance was conducted among children under 5 years old with acute
diarrhea in Changchun
Children's Hospital.
Fecal samples were determined to identify
rotavirus by
PAGE and/or
ELISA. G
serotypes of
rotavirus were identified by
ELISA and/or nested
RT-PCR. P
genotyping were carried out by
RT-PCR. All data were computerized and analysed by "Generic Manual on
Rotavirus Surveillance" set by CDC in the USA. RESULTS: In total, 2 343
diarrhea cases were screened and 1 211
fecal samples were collected.
Rotavirus was detected in 31.0% among outpatients and 52.9% in inpatients. During the peak of the season (November through March), 58.6% of
diarrhea was caused by
rotavirus among inpatients. 95.0% of
rotavirus diarrhea cases occurred among children
aged < 2 years. The predominant strain was
serotype G1 (82.4%), followed by G2 (5.0%), G3 (3.3%), G4 (0.9%). P
genotyping showed that P[8] and P[4] were the most common ones. Nine different P-G combinations were identified, four strains (P[8]G1, P[4]G2, P[8]G3, and P[8]G4) commonly seen worldwide accounted for 75.6% of the total. Taken together with uncommon strains, including the novel types P[4]G4 and P[8]G2, it highlights the extraordinary diversity of rotaviruses circulating in China. CONCLUSION:
Rotavirus is the major cause of severe child
diarrhea in Changchun. Developing a
rotavirus vaccine for prevention of severe disease and reduction of treatment costs seemed to be necessary.
