Molecular Characterization of Group A Rrotaviruses Prevalent in Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Diarrheal diseases are responsible for a whopping proportion of mortality and morbidity all around the globe. Among different etiological agents, the contribution of viruses to gastroenteritis incidences in humans is well established. In this study, the prevalence of rotavirus, norovirus and enterovirus was studied in the diarrheagenic patients from Himachal Pradesh, India. Rotavirus was the most commonly identified viral pathogen during the study. It was detected in as high as 49 Percent children greater than 5 years of age and 14 percent adults Less than 5 years of age. Enterovirus was present in 5.6 percent of cases whereas norovirus had the least prevalence 1.4 percent. Rotavirus infections were found to be significantly associated with vomiting and dehydration whereas the trend of higher rates of fever was seen in children along with diarrhea. Seasonal distribution of rotavirus infection reveals their year round prevalence. Genotyping of the isolated rotavirus strains showed the predominance of an unusual G1P6 genotype in the region. Phylogenetic analysis of the VP7 genes of the G1-isolates revealed belonging of the Himachal isolates to a novel sublineage within lineage 1. Also all the strains were distantly related to the vaccine strains and have 93.9 percent 94.5 percent and 91.9 percent - 92.6 percent similarities at the amino acid level with Rotarix and RotaTeq strains, respectively. The comparative sequence and structural analysis of the Himachal strains with vaccine strains revealed differences in amino acids in epitope region of the VP7 protein especially at the antibody neutralization sites. The outcomes of the in silico antigen antibody binding analysis revealed no considerable effect of the mutations in the epitope region and antigen antibody binding energy remained almost similar even after multiple variations in the amino acid sequence. newlineThe high prevalence of rotavirus during the study period is indicative of a severe public health threat and warrants immediate preventive measures against the