Genotypic characterization of rotaviruses and prevalence of serotype-specific serum antibodies in children in Kuwait

Abstract

There are no data on the serotypes of rotaviruses prevalent in Kuwait, which has a large expatriate population and hence a focal point for transmission of pathogens. The serotype information will contribute to the fund of knowledge on the world epidemiology of rotavirus serotypes and will predict the outcome of vaccination in Kuwait. Of the 75 rotavirus-positive samples from 172 children (aged <5 years) with severe diarrhoea, 69 were genotyped. The distribution of genotypes was G1 (63.8%) followed by G9 (10.2%), G2 (7.3%), G4 (7.3%) and G3 (4.4%). Among the P types, P[8] was the most common type found across all G types. By fluorescent focus neutralization test, serum antibodies to genotypes G1 (94%), G4 (68%) and G9 (46%) were found in 120 other children. These results show that G1 is the predominant serotype in Kuwait and that a vaccine that contains G1 will be most effective.

The molecular epidemiology of circulating rotaviruses: three-year surveillance in the region of Monastir, Tunisia

“…These results are consistent with previous findings on rotavirus prevalence in Tunisia (21% and 22.5%) [11,12]. Similar proportions (16% to 23%) of rotavirus gastroenteritis were found in different Arab countries like Saudi Arabia [13-17] and Egypt [18-21], but this is lower than the prevalence of rotavirus attained in Syria (61%) [19], Oman (50%) [22] and Kuwait (44%) [23]. These different detection rates may be explained by different conditions of the studies, such as the season of sampling and the sampling methods.…”

Molecular Epidemiology of Rotavirus Diarrhea among Children in Saudi Arabia: First Detection of G9 and G12 Strains

“…While this is the first study to describe the distribution of G and P types of rotavirus circulating in Saudi Arabia, there are at least two important observations that merit particular attention. First, we identified here the circulation of G9 strains for the first time in Saudi Arabia at a relative frequency of 11%, confirming and extending the previous observation made in Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait that globally spreading G9 strains have entered the Middle East (1,10,24). Although the G9 strains detected in Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait were not sequenced, the VP7 gene that was carried by the G9 strain isolated in Saudi Arabia (MD28) was shown to belong to lineage III (data not shown), a finding consistent with the globally emerging G9 strains (23,37).…”

The Epidemiology of Rotavirus Diarrhea in Countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

“…G1 and G4 accounted for 69% of isolates over a 10-year period of study, although unconventional G8 and G9 types were noted to occur [40]. The first genetic characterization of isolates among 172 children from Kuwait with severe diarrhea (44% rotavirus detection rate) was notable, because although G1 was most common (63.8%), G9 was second in frequency (10.2%) [41]. In a network of clinics in Upper Egypt, rotavirus was found as the single most common infectious agent detected among children either hospitalized or brought to outpatient care (36%-46%) for acute gastroenteritis [42].…”