Species A rotaviruses isolated from hospitalized patients over 5 years of age in Kolkata, India, in 2012/13

In hospital-based diarrhoeal disease surveillance at Infectious Diseases & Beliaghata-General Hospital (May-2012 to April-2013), Kolkata, India, stool samples were collected from patients 5 years of age (n = 728) hospitalized with diarrhea. Group-A rotavirus (GARV) was identified by ELISA followed by multiplex RT-PCR. In children 5 years to 90 years old, only 6.04% (n = 44) tested positive for GARV. G2P[4] strains (n = 16 [36.36%]) were the most prevalent, followed by G9P[4] strains (n = 13 [29.54%]), while P[4]-(n = 30 [68.18%]) was most prevalent among the P genotypes. The GARV strains G2, G9 and P[4] detected in adults clustered together in the phylogenetic tree with the GARV strains identified in children (< 5 years) during the same period. Rotavirus positivity was high among female patients (75%), suggesting that caregivers (mother/grandmother/older-siblings) may get infected through young children or may act as carriers for transmission.