Clinical presentation and molecular characterization of group B rotaviruses in diarrhoea patients in Bangladesh

Abstract

A total of 1106 stool samples collected from diarrhoea patients admitted to Dhaka hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, during January–December 2008 were analysed for the presence of rotavirus-specific RNA by PAGE. The group B-specific RNA migration pattern was detected in 26 patients (2.4 %) and group A-specific pattern in 259 patients (23.4 %). Clinical data from group A and group B rotavirus-infected patients indicated that episodes did not differ much in the prevalence of diarrhoea, number of stools, outcome or differences in gender. However, abdominal pain was more common in group B rotavirus infections (36 vs 15 %, P=0.02) and the virus was responsible for more severe dehydration compared with group A-infected patients (12 vs 3 %, P=0.04). Sequence analyses of VP4, VP7 and NSP2 indicated that an Indian–Bangladeshi lineage of the virus, which is different from both the prototype (Chinese) lineage and from the animal group B rotaviruses, has been circulating in Bangladesh. Continuous monitoring of group B rotaviruses both in hospitals and in the community will be helpful to determine the true burden of group B rotaviruses.