Investigation of Rotavirus with Various Methods in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis and Determination of Its Molecular Epidemiology in Kayseri Province, Turkey

Background In this study, the fresh stool samples from 254 children under 5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis which were delivered between October 2012 and December 2013 were collected. Methods In the stool samples, rotavirus antigens were investigated using two different immunochromatographic methods which are routinely used at different times, namely the RIDA®QUICK Rotavirus/Adenovirus Combi Test (R-Biopharm AG, Germany) and the Genx® Rotavirus Test (Diamed-Lab, Turkey), in addition to the Rotavirus Ag (Stool) ELISA (DRG, Germany) kit. The results were compared with reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). Results When the Genx® Rotavirus Test and RIDA®QUICK Rotavirus/Adenovirus Combi Test immunochromatographic methods were compared with RT-PCR, their sensitivity and specificity were found as 97.1%, 100%, and 80.4%, 72%, respectively. As to the Rotavirus Ag (Stool) ELISA method, on the other hand, its sensitivity was found to be 95.1% and its specificity was 86.5%. The most common genotype was G9P[8] (40%), which was followed by the G1P[8] (18.7%) and G3P[8] (9.6%) genotypes. Conclusion Consequently, it was revealed that the sensitivity of ELISA and immunochromatographic methods, which provide results in a short time and are used in the investigation of rotavirus antigen, was high and their specificity was low; further studies to determine the distribution of G and P genotypes will contribute to establishing strategies for vaccine development for rotavirus in the world.