DETECÇÃO E CARACTERIZAÇÃO MOLECULAR DE ROTAVÍRUS DO GRUPO A ASSOCIADOS À DIARRÉIA INFANTIL NA REGIÃO DO TRIÂNGULO MINEIRO, MG, BRASIL.

Abstract

The rotavirus is the most important etiologic agent of acute diarrhea in children. Is associated with a large number of hospitalizations and 661,000 annual deaths of children in developing countries. This virus presents a great antigenic variability; the particle is formed by a double capsid whose outer layer is composed of proteins VP7 and VP4, which define the G genotypes, respectively. In Brazil, since 2006, a monovalent vaccine against rotavirus (G1P [8]) was introduced into the national immunization program and data on the molecular characterization of strains circulating outside the major cities in Brazil are scarce, so the aim of this study was to detect and characterize rotavirus in faeces from children with diarrhea in the Triangulo Mineiro region, Brazil, between April 2007 and July 2010. The detection of rotavirus was made by visualization of the viral genome in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after extraction of RNA from stool and genotyping of positive samples was performed by RTPCR. Of 592 samples analyzed, 74 (12.5%) were positive for group A rotavirus. Prevalence varied significantly from one year to another, being verified a significant decrease in 2009 and an upward trend in 2010. The detection of rotavirus occurred predominantly in the dry months of winter and was higher in hospitalized children aged 13 to 24 months. We observed the circulation of different variants of short electropherotypes, characterizing 95.9% of positive samples, and a low circulation long electroferotypes (4.1%). Rotavirus of genotype G2P[4] were almost exclusively the only ones found. The results of our study contribute to understanding the epidemiology of rotavirus in Brazil and provide information for future evaluations of the adoption of control measures and vaccination. This study should be continued so that we can better understand the impact of vaccination on the epidemiology of rotavirus in the Triangulo Mineiro region.