Whole-genome characterisation of G12P[6] rotavirus strains possessing two distinct genotype constellations co-circulating in Blantyre, Malawi, 2008

T. Nakagomi, L. P. Do, C. A. Agbemabiese, M. Kaneko, P. Gauchan, Y. H. Doan, K. C. Jere, A. D. Steele, M. Iturriza-Gomara, O. Nakagomi, N. A. Cunliffe

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12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Rotavirus A strains detected in diarrhoeal children commonly possess any one of the genotypes G1, G2, G3, G4, and G9, with a recent increase in G12 detection globally. G12P[6] strains possessing short RNA (DS-1-like) and long RNA (Wa-like) migration patterns accounted for 27 % of the strains circulating in Blantyre, Malawi, between 2007 and 2008. To understand how the G12P[6] strains with two distinct genetic backgrounds emerged in Malawi, we conducted whole-genome analysis of two long-RNA and two short-RNA strains. While the former had a typical Wa-like genotype constellation of G12-P[6]-I1-R1-C1-M1-A1-N1-T1-E1-H1, the latter was found to have G12-P[6]-I2-R2-C2-M1-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2: a VP3 gene mono-reassortant on the DS-1-like backbone. Phylogenetic and Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo analyses showed that the short-RNA G12P[6] strains were generated around 2006 by reassortment between an African Wa-like G12P[6] strain donating three genes (the VP7, VP4, and VP3 genes) and a G2P[4] strain similar to the one circulating in Thailand or the United States of America that donated the remaining eight genes. On the other hand, the long-RNA strains were generated as a result of reassortment events within Wa-like G12 and non-G12 strains commonly circulating in Africa; only the VP4 gene was from a Malawian G8P[6] strain. In conclusion, this study uncovered the evolutionary pathways through which two distinct G12P[6] strains emerged in Malawi.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)213-226
Number of pages14
JournalArchives of Virology
Volume162
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2017
Externally publishedYes

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