Prevalence and genetic diversity of gastroenteritis viruses in hospitalized children < 5 years of age in Maharashtra state, Western India, 2017-2019.

Four gastroenteritis viruses were responsible for 54% of the acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases in children hospitalized between May 2017 and December 2019 in Pune city of Maharashtra state, Western India. The majority (79%) of the children were <2 years of age. The prevalence of Rotavirus A (RVA) was 30.5% followed by 14.3% for norovirus, 8.4% for adenovirus, and 5.5% for astrovirus. The severity of the disease was highest in patients with coinfections compared with the patients with a single infection or negative for all (p = 0.024). Genotyping analysis showed that the majority of the RVA-positive samples (66%) could be typed as G3P[8], 63.6% of the norovirus as GII.4 Sydney [P16], 44% of the adenovirus as type 41%, and 56.2% of the astrovirus as astrovirus type 1. The almost equivalent prevalence of rotavirus and nonrotaviruses and acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases without known etiology in around 46% of the cases was noted in the present study. Our data highlight that after the recent inclusion of rotavirus vaccines as a part of the National Immunization schedule in India, conducting extensive AGE surveillance in children should include nonrotaviruses such as norovirus.

Investigation of a large waterborne acute gastroenteritis outbreak caused by group B rotavirus in Maharashtra state, India.

An acute gastroenteritis outbreak at Devli Karad village, Maharashtra, India with an attack rate of 22.6% affected mainly adolescent and adult population. The viral investigations conducted on fecal specimens of patients hospitalized indicated the presence of rotavirus B (RVB) using RNA polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The samples collected from the source of drinking water also showed the presence of the only RVB. Absence of other viral agents and identification of RVB of genotype G2 as the etiological agent of the acute gastroenteritis outbreak highlights, the necessity of monitoring RVB, the viral agent known for its large outbreak potential.

Identification of group B rotavirus as an etiological agent in the gastroenteritis outbreak in Maharashtra, India.

Acute gastroenteritis outbreak occurred at Pargaon, Maharashtra, India in 1789 cases with an attack rate of 32.5% between November to December 2015. The stool specimens (n = 32) were investigated for different enteric viral agents using conventional methods. Transmission electron microscopy and RNA polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis respectively identified morphologically distinct rotavirus particles in 28% and RNA migration pattern of Group B Rotavirus (GBR) in 72% of the specimens. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and nucleotide sequencing confirmed presence of GBR in 97% of the samples analyzed. The predominance of GBR infections and absence or insignificant presence of other agents confirmed GBR as an etiological agent of the gastroenteritis outbreak occurred in Maharashtra, India.

Identification of coxsackievirus A-24 GIV C5 strain as the cause of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreak in Hyderabad, India in 2022.

Viral infection is frequently the cause for acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) epidemics. AHC can result from adenoviruses, with enterovirus 70 and coxsackievirus A24 being the primary agents. AHC was initially identified in Ghana in 1969, caused by enterovirus 70 and leading to a global pandemic. Since 2000, outbreaks of AHC linked to coxsackievirus A24 variant have been documented in Spain, Pakistan, Singapore, India, Korea, and China. A sudden surge of conjunctivitis cases reported in October 2022 in and out of the Hyderabad region. This infection presented with usual symptoms of redness of the eyes, discharge, pain in the eyes and crusting. Occular swab samples from 110 patients were collected in order to identify and characterize the virus that was causing the epidemic. We examined adenovirus, enterovirus, COVID-19 and Herpes Simplex Virus by using commercially kits available at the hospital. Conserved regions in the enteroviral 5'-UTR and VP2 gene were analyzed further for characterization of serotype at the National apex laboratory. None of them was found positive except Enterovirus in 16.36 % (18/110) of the patients. From enterovirus-positive samples, the coxsackievirus A24 was observed in all 18 positive samples. These clinical isolates constitute a new lineage cluster associated with genotype IV-C5, according to additional sequencing of the full-length VP2 genes and subsequent phylogenetic analysis. In conclusion, the current outbreak of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Hyderabad, India was traced to the coxsackievirus A24 strain GIV C5.

Enteric and non-enteric adenoviruses in children with acute gastroenteritis in Western India.

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are the viral agents responsible for a wide spectrum of acute and chronic diseases. HAdVs are the most important etiological agents of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and are identified as the major contributor to the deaths of diarrheal children globally. The significant rise in HAdV infections in rotavirus-vaccinated children documented in multiple studies demands continuous monitoring of HAdV strains. After the inclusion of rotavirus vaccines in the immunization schedule of India, public health research regarding prevalence, etiology, and risk factors is highly necessary for evidence-based policies and their implementation to sustain diarrhea prevention programs. In the present study, children admitted for AGE between 2013 and 2016 in seven different hospitals in Maharashtra and Gujrat states of Western India were subjected for investigation. HAdVs were found in 5.2% of the fecal specimens with the dominance of species-F (52.4%) strains, followed by the occurrence of non-enteric adenoviruses of species A (17.4%), C (11.4%), B (8.2%), and D (3.2%). The species-F strains were predominant in Ahmadabad (78.5%), Mumbai (61.5%), and Surat (57.1%) cities, followed by species-A strains. In Pune city, species B strains were detected in all HAdV patients, with none of the species A strains. Clinically, patients infected with enteric and non-enteric HAdV strains were indistinguishable. However, a high viral load was observed in species-F specimens as compared to non-species-F. The present study on fecal specimens collected in the pre-rotavirus vaccination era from hospitalized AGE patients will be important for future comparative analysis to know the exact impact of vaccination in children of Western India.

The 2022 outbreak and the pathobiology of the coxsackie virus [hand foot and mouth disease] in India.

Outbreaks of HFMD in children aged <5 years have been reported worldwide and the major causative agents are Coxsackievirus (CV) A16, enterovirus (EV)-A71 and recently CVA6. In India, HFMD is a disease that is not commonly reported. The purpose of the study was to identify the enterovirus type(s) associated with large outbreak of Hand, foot, and mouth disease during COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. Four hundred and twenty five clinical samples from 196-suspected cases were collected from different parts of the country. This finding indicated the emergence of CVA6 in HFMD along with CVA16, soon after the gradual easing of non-pharmaceutical interventions during-pandemic COVID-19 and the relevance of continued surveillance of circulating enterovirus types in the post-COVID pandemic era.