Comparative analysis of the Rotarix™ vaccine strain and G1P[8] rotaviruses detected before and after vaccine introduction in Belgium.

G1P[8] rotaviruses are responsible for the majority of human rotavirus infections worldwide. The effect of universal mass vaccination with rotavirus vaccines on circulating G1P[8] rotaviruses is still poorly understood. Therefore we analyzed the complete genomes of the Rotarix™ vaccine strain, and 70 G1P[8] rotaviruses, detected between 1999 and 2010 in Belgium (36 before and 34 after vaccine introduction) to investigate the impact of rotavirus vaccine introduction on circulating G1P[8] strains.

Genome-Wide Evolutionary Analyses of G1P[8] Strains Isolated Before and After Rotavirus Vaccine Introduction.

Rotaviruses are the most important etiological agent of acute gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. Among the first countries to introduce rotavirus vaccines into their national immunization programs were Belgium (November 2006) and Australia (July 2007). Surveillance programs in Belgium (since 1999) and Australia (since 1989) offer the opportunity to perform a detailed comparison of rotavirus strains circulating pre- and postvaccine introduction.

Diversity and relationships of cocirculating modern human rotaviruses revealed using large-scale comparative genomics.

Group A rotaviruses (RVs) are 11-segmented, double-stranded RNA viruses and are primary causes of gastroenteritis in young children. Despite their medical relevance, the genetic diversity of modern human RVs is poorly understood, and the impact of vaccine use on circulating strains remains unknown. In this study, we report the complete genome sequence analysis of 58 RVs isolated from children with severe diarrhea and/or vomiting at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, TN, during the years spanning community vaccine implementation (2005 to 2009).

Intra-genotypic diversity of archival G4P[8] human rotaviruses from Washington, DC.

Group A human rotaviruses (RVs) remain the most frequently detected viral agents associated with acute gastroenteritis in infants and young children. Despite their medical importance, relatively few complete genome sequences have been determined for commonly circulating G/P-type strains (i.e.

Evolutionary dynamics of human rotaviruses: balancing reassortment with preferred genome constellations.

Group A human rotaviruses (RVs) are a major cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children. Yet, aside from the genes encoding serotype antigens (VP7; G-type and VP4; P-type), little is known about the genetic make-up of emerging and endemic human RV strains. To gain insight into the diversity and evolution of RVs circulating at a single location over a period of time, we sequenced the eleven-segmented, double-stranded RNA genomes of fifty-one G3P[8] strains collected from 1974 to 1991 at Children's Hospital National Medical Center, Washington, D.

High affinity nucleocapsid protein binding to the muPsi RNA packaging signal of Rous sarcoma virus.

The genomes of all retroviruses contain sequences near their 5' ends that interact with the nucleocapsid domains (NC) of assembling Gag proteins and direct their packaging into virus particles. Retroviral packaging signals often occur in non-contiguous segments spanning several hundred nucleotides of the RNA genome, confounding structural and mechanistic studies of genome packaging. Recently, a relatively short, 82 nucleotide region of the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) genome, called muPsi, was shown to be sufficient to direct efficient packaging of heterologous RNAs into RSV-like particles.