Rotavirus Diarrhea in Hospitalized Under-5 Children in Madhya Pradesh, India and the Prevalent Serotypes After Vaccine Introduction.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To report epidemiology of rotavirus gastroenteritis among under-five children hospitalized for acute diarrhea after the introduction of vaccine in Madhya Pradesh. METHODS: Children hospitalized for diarrhea between August 2017 and December 2019 were recruited. Stool sample was collected and shipped to Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore maintaining proper cold chain. Samples were then screened for rotavirus using enzyme immunoassay (EIA). The samples that were positive for rotavirus were further genotyped by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Of the 794 stool samples collected, 150 (18.8%) samples were positive for rotavirus. Highest positivity was seen in winter months and in children less than 2 y of age. G3P[8] was found to be the most prevalent serotype. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights lowering prevalence of rotavirus gastroenteritis in the authors' region post vaccine introduction. It also highlights the change in prevalent serotypes.