Antigenic characterization of swine rotaviruses in Argentina

Abstract

Fecal samples from 156 diarrheic piglets were collected from several herds located in two main breeding areas of Argentina. Rotaviruses were detected in 60 samples (38.4%) by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and in 55 samples by a group A-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All samples which were positive by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and negative by ELISA had elicited atypical electropherotypes resembling those of group B or C. ELISA-positive samples showing genome rearrangements were also detected (R.C. Bellinzoni, N.M. Mattion, O.R. Burrone, S.A. González, J.L. La Torre, and E.A. Scodeller, J. Clin. Microbiol. 25:952-954, 1987; N.M. Mattion, S.A. González, O.R. Burrone, R.C. Bellinzoni, J.L. La Torre, and E.A. Scodeller, J. Gen. Virol. 69:695-698, 1988). By subgrouping with monoclonal antibodies, it was found that of 32 positive samples, 13 belonged to subgroup I, 2 belonged to subgroup II, 2 samples had both specificities, and 15 samples were neither subgroup I nor subgroup II (non-I/II). In addition, 10 samples were adapted to grow in tissue culture, cloned, and serotyped by means of neutralization assays. Two samples were classified as serotype 5, and none of them were classified as serotype 4. The other strains showed only a one-way relationship with serotype 5 and can be tentatively classified as new porcine serotypes. Two samples with rearranged genomes had a one-way relationship with antiserum to human strain 69M, which displays a supershort electropherotype and was classified as a new human serotype (S. Matsuno, A. Hasegawa, A. Mukoyama, and S. Inouye, J. Virol. 54:623-624, 1985). At one farm, similar rearranged strains were detected during three successive years. Serotype changes were found between the isolates of the first and the second year, suggesting that a high degree of antigenic variability went on during continuous circulation of these strains in the field.