Serotype Variation of Human Group A Rotaviruses in Two Regions of the USA

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Abstract
The first longitudinal study ofgroup Arotavirus serotype distribution in the USA reported. ELlSAs incorporating neutralizing monoclonal antibodies specific for the VP7 protien of setotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4 were used to determine the antigenic variation of group A rotaviruses in two collectiollS"of stool specimens. Stool samples were collected from children hospitalized during 1979–1989 at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, and from children from a more rural population hospitalized during 1981–1989 in the north-central USA. The predominant serotype varied from year to year in Houston, with serotypes 1, 3, and 4 each predominant in 1 or more years. In the north-central population only serotype 1 was predominant each year. Within a single rotavirus season in the Houston area, serotypes were not equally distributed by week of the season or county ofresidence. These differences in the distribution ofserotypes have broad implications for the design and interpretation of vaccine programs.