Burden of Rotavirus (RV) Infection in Children Below Five Years of Age Having Acute Diarrhoea and Pattern of Circulating Genotypes in a Community in Indore City of Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Background: Determining the prevalence of rotavirus in a specific area can provide valuable insights regarding its seasonality, aid the healthcare system in effectively managing cases of acute diarrhoea, and contribute to the prevention of drug misuse.Aim: To study the burden of rotavirus infection in children below five years of age having acute diarrhoea and pattern of circulating genotypes in a community in Indore city of Madhya Pradesh.Methods: Children below five years of age with acute diarrhoea provided a total of 100 stool samples, which were then tested for the presence of rotavirus antigen using an enzyme immunoassay (EIA). After that, RT-PCR was used to genotype the EIA-positive samples' G and P types. Demographic and clinical information were recorded on a proforma. Results:The prevalence of rotavirus infection in children below five years of age having acute diarrhoea was 17%. Nine typeable rotavirus strains out of a total of 17 were typed using RT-PCR. One strain (11.1%) was partially typed, two strains (22.2%) were not typeable, and six strains (66.7%) were fully genotyped for the G and P genotypes. The G1 genotype was found in the greatest number of strains (5, 71.4%), followed by G2 and G10 in 1 strain each (14.3% each). P8 and P4 were found in one strain each (50.0% each). Conclusion:The majority of rotavirus strains were G1 genotyped. In order to boost the regional specificity of multivalent RV vaccines, this study emphasises the need to include new rotavirus strains.