Molecular characterization of a human group C rotavirus detected first in Turkey

Abstract

The present study was done to find out the prevalence of group B and C rotavirus infections in children with diarrhea presented at two major hospitals in Ankara, Turkey. Group B rotavirus was not found in any samples. One of 122 samples was positive for group C rotavirus. Phylogenetic analysis of genes for nonstructural protein NSP4, and structural proteins VP4, VP6, and VP7 confirmed the human origin of this strain. Similar to other human group C rotaviruses, one N-glycosylation site was predicted at amino acid residue 67 on the VP7 of strain GUP188. The genes of strain GUP188 were closely related to those of human group C rotavirus strain from the UK (Bristol) for NSP4, China (208 and Wu82) for VP4 and VP6, and from Colombia (Javeriana) for VP7, indicating that the Turkish group C rotavirus was unique and can serve as an additional reference strain for the molecular epidemiology of group C rotaviruses.