Detection and characterization of human rotavirus in hospitalized patients in the cities of Ponta Grossa, Londrina and Assai - PR, Brazil.

Unlabelled: Acute diarrheal disease is still one of the major public health problems worldwide. Rotaviruses (RV) are the most important viral etiologic agents and children under five years of age are the target population.

Objective: To investigate the rate of RV infection in hospitalized patients due to acute diarrhea in the cities of Ponta Grossa, Londrina and Assai - Paraná.

Methods: Latex agglutination (LA); immunochromatography (ICG); polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and negative staining electron microscopy (ME) tests were used to detect the virus. For the genotyping, RT-PCR and RT-PCR-ELISA were used, respectively, for NSP4 and VP4/VP7.

Result: Out of 124 samples there were 69 positive stool samples for RV, for at least one of the used tests, 67 of them being RV group A (RV-A). Overall, most of the RV positive stool samples came from children under thirteen years of age. However, 12 positive cases occurred in patients aged 13 years or above, including an 81-year old patient.

Conclusion: The data showed similar electropherotypes and genotypes G, P and NSP4 of the inland wild circulating strains of RV.