Molecular characterization of rotaviruses obtained from patients with rotavirus-associated encephalitis/encephalopathy.

Group A rotavirus (RVA) rarely causes severe complications such as encephalitis/encephalopathy. However, the pathophysiology of this specific complication remains unclear. We used next-generation sequence analysis to compare the entire genome sequences of RVAs detected in patients with encephalitis/encephalopathy and gastroenteritis. This study enrolled 8 patients with RVA encephalitis/encephalopathy and 10 with RVA gastroenteritis who were treated between February 2013 and July 2014. Viral RNAs were extracted from patients' stool, and whole-genome sequencing analysis was carried out to identify the specific gene mutations in RVA obtained from patients with severe neurological complications. Among the 8 encephalitis/encephalopathy cases, 6 strains were DS-1-like G1P[8] and the remaining 2 were Wa-like G1P[8] (G1-P[8]-I1-R1-C1-M1-A1-N1-T1-E1-H1). Meanwhile, 8 of the 10 viruses detected in rotavirus gastroenteritis patients were DS-1-like G1P[8], and the remaining 2 were Wa-like G1P[8]. We further characterized these strains by conducting phylogenetic analysis. No specific clustering was demonstrated in RVAs detected from encephalitis/encephalopathy patients. Although the DS-1-like G1P[8] strain was predominant in both groups, no specific molecular characteristics were detected in RVAs from patients with severe central nervous system complications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.