Novel human rotavirus of genotype G5P[6] identified in a stool specimen from a Chinese girl with diarrhea

Abstract

During a rotavirus surveillance conducted in Lulong County, Hebei Province, China, a total of 331 stool specimens collected in 2003 from children under 5 years old with diarrhea were screened. We identified a novel group A human rotavirus of genotype G5P[6]. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the VP7 protein of this newly identified strain, LL36755, was closely related to those of the G5 strains. As such, it has 95.4% homology with its counterparts in the porcine G5 strains C134 and CC117 at the amino acid sequence level. On the other hand, the VP4 protein of the LL36755 strain was 94.5% homologous to those of the porcine P[6] strains 134/04-10, 134/04-11, 221/04-7, and 221/04-13. Our findings indicate a dynamic interaction between human and porcine rotaviruses.

FIG. 1.

Phylogenetic tree of the VP7 proteins of strain LL36755 and strains with other G genotypes. Evolutionary trees for deduced amino acid sequences were drawn by using the neighbor-joining method.

FIG. 2.

Phylogenetic tree of the VP4 proteins of strain LL36755 and strains with other P genotype. Evolutionary trees for deduced amino acid sequences were drawn by using the neighbor-joining method.