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Clinical and molecular epidemiological characterization of rotavirus infections in children under five years old in Shandong province, China

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Abstract

Rotaviruses are important causative agents of acute gastroenteritis in children. In China, rotavirus infection has a prevalence rate of 30% and is therefore considered a serious public health problem. This study was carried out to investigate the clinical and molecular epidemiological characteristics of rotavirus infections in children under 5 years old with acute diarrhea in Shandong province, China. From July 2017 to June 2018, a total of 1211 fecal specimens were tested, and the prevalence of rotavirus infection was 32.12%. The mean age of the infected children was 12.2 ± 10.9 months, and the highest infection rate was observed in children aged 7-12 months, with a rate of 41.64%. G9P[8] (76.61%) was the most prevalent genotype combination, followed by G2P[4] (7.20%), G3P[8] (3.60%), and G9P[4] (2.06%). In addition to diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and dehydration were the most common clinical signs. In general, there was no significant difference in clinical manifestations among different age groups. However, the clinical manifestations differed significantly between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. Vaccinated children showed lower incidence and frequency of vomiting, lower incidence and degree of dehydration, and lower incidence of severe cases than unvaccinated children. These findings suggest that it is necessary to continuously monitor changes in the characteristics of rotavirus infections. Moreover, the introduction of vaccines into the national immunization program to prevent and control rotavirus infection is needed in China.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partially funded by the Shandong Provincial Key Research and Development Program (2018 GSF118071). The authors thank the researchers from the clinical laboratory departments of the two hospitals for collection of fecal specimens and virus detection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care Unit, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Wenhua Xi Road 107, Ji’nan, 250012, Shandong, China

    Shixiao Dong

  2. Department of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Jiangsu Road 16, Qingdao, 266000, Shandong, China

    Deyu Huang & Fengjuan Zhang

  3. Department of Infectious Diseases, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Wenhua Xi Road 107, Ji’nan, 250012, Shandong, China

    Zheng Wang, Guanyou Zhang & Lintao Sai

Authors
  1. Shixiao Dong
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  2. Deyu Huang
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  3. Zheng Wang
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  4. Guanyou Zhang
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  5. Fengjuan Zhang
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  6. Lintao Sai
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Contributions

Lintao Sai and Shixiao Dong conceived and designed the experiments. Zheng Wang, Fengjuan Zhang, and Guanyou Zhang performed the experiments. Lintao Sai, Shixiao Dong, and Deyu Huang analyzed the data. Lintao Sai and Shixiao Dong drafted and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Lintao Sai.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Dong, S., Huang, D., Wang, Z. et al. Clinical and molecular epidemiological characterization of rotavirus infections in children under five years old in Shandong province, China. Arch Virol 166, 2479–2486 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-021-05161-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-021-05161-4

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