Detection and molecular characterisation of zoonotic enteric pathogens in animals and humans in southern India

Abstract

Diarrhea remains the second leading infectious cause of childhood death worldwide, despite the improved safety of food, water and sanitation and the aggressive promotion of noninvasive interventions and prevention strategies, accounting for approximately 1.8 million annual deaths in children under 5 years of age. The majority of these diarrheal deaths (1.46 million, 76%) occur in the developing countries of Africa and south-east Asia. It is estimated that around 23% of Indian children die before the age of five due to diarrhea and the attack rates sometimes reach six or more episodes per child per year. In addition to the mortality and morbidity associated with diarrhea as a dehydrating illness, chronic and recurrent diarrhea in early childhood has been shown to have long-term effects such as stunting and developmental delays caused by poor nutrient absorption. In this study, we report the distribution of rotavirus genotypes in human and animal diarrhea. The distribution of genotypes in animals showed G6 infections as the predominant cause of symptomatic rotavirus infection followed by G2, while in children G1, G2 and G9 strains were common. With G2 infections identified in animals, reverse zoonotic transmission should be considered since this genotype is predominantly associated with infection in humans. G10P a bovine human reassortant found in asymptomatic infections in children and in neonates, was not identified in animals indicating that the strain is now well adapted to humans. newline