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Detection and characterization of group C rotavirus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1997–2003

The role of group C rotaviruses as a cause of diarrhea was examined among children <17 years of age admitted to a Hospital in a suburban area of Buenos Aires, Argentina between 1997 and 2003. A total of 1,579 fecal samples were screened for group A (RVA) and C (RVC) rotaviruses by two in‐house ELISA methods at Quilmes University (UNQ‐ELISA). Samples positive, doubtful and negative by RVC specific UNQ‐ELISA (n = 246) were examined further for RVC by another in‐house ELISA (CDC‐ELISA), electron microscopy, RT‐PCR, nested PCR, and Southern hybridization. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for each test were determined. While the sensitivity was comparable for the nested PCR and CDC‐ELISA methods (82.5%), the molecular methods were slightly more specific. Poorly preserved particles were often seen in fecal samples, suggesting that degradation of RNA could be a factor influencing the performance of molecular methods. The incidence of RVC was estimated to be 3% without apparent differences among seasons. RVC infected patients had a significantly (P < 0.001) higher median age (6 years vs. 1 year) than those with RVA infection. Sequence of the RVC VP7 gene from six Argentinean strains and sequences reported previously in different countries showed high nucleotide (94.4–99.9%) sequence identities, indicating a high degree of conservation for human RVC VP7 genes among strains collected on five continents over a period of 17 years. These findings indicate that RVC is a significant cause of diarrhea and it is necessary to develop simple and sensitive serological methods for its detection. J. Med. Virol. 81:1109–1116, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.