Diversity of rotavirus strains circulating in Haiti before and after introduction of monovalent vaccine

Novel Universal Recombinant Rotavirus A Vaccine Candidate: Evaluation of Immunological Properties

Rotavirus infection is a leading cause of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis in children under 5 years of age. Although rotavirus-associated mortality has decreased considerably because of the introduction of the worldwide rotavirus vaccination, the global burden of rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis remains high. Current vaccines have a number of disadvantages; therefore, there is a need for innovative approaches in rotavirus vaccine development. In the current study, a universal recombinant rotavirus antigen (URRA) for a novel recombinant vaccine candidate against rotavirus A was obtained and characterised. This antigen included sequences of the VP8* subunit of rotavirus spike protein VP4. For the URRA, for the first time, two approaches were implemented simultaneously-the application of a highly conserved neutralising epitope and the use of the consensus of the extended protein's fragment. The recognition of URRA by antisera to patient-derived field rotavirus isolates was proven. Plant virus-based spherical particles (SPs), a novel, effective and safe adjuvant, considerably enhanced the immunogenicity of the URRA in a mouse model. Given these facts, a URRA + SPs vaccine candidate is regarded as a prospective basis for a universal vaccine against rotavirus.

Emergence and high prevalence of unusual rotavirus G8P[8] strains in outpatients with acute gastroenteritis in Shanghai, China

Group A rotavirus (RVA) is considered an important cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in all age groups, especially in children. We investigated the epidemiology of RVA in outpatients aged ≤ 16 years at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. In this study, 16.6% (246/1482) were infected with RVA. The detection rate of RVA was significantly higher in the year of 2021 (20.3%, 147/725) compared to the year of 2020 (14.5%, 77/531) and 2022 (9.7%, 22/226) (p = 0.000). RVA infection was prevalent in all seasons from 2020 to 2022, with a different monthly distribution observed in different years. Among 246 RVA-positive samples, 14 different RVA genotypes were detected with different frequencies. Overall, G9P[8] (45.5%, 112/246) was the most common RVA genotype, followed by G8P[8] (37.4%, 92/246) and G3P[8] (4.1%, 10/246). The prevalence of G/P combinations varied from 2020 to 2022. G9P[8] was the most prevalent circulating genotype in 2020 (68.2%, 15/22) and 2021 (57.8%, 85/147). However, G8P[8] (68.8%, 53/77) suddenly became the most prevalent genotype in 2022 after being first identified in 2020 and prevalent in 2021. The G8 strains detected in the study were all clustered to DS-1-like G8 strains with the closest genetic distance to strains circulating in Southeast Asia. Our study demonstrated the diversity of circulating RVA genotypes in Shanghai. The sudden emergence and high prevalence of unusual G8P[8] strains deserve more concern and indicate the need for continuous surveillance of RVA in children with AGE in the future to refine future vaccine strategy.