Detection and characterization of human group C rotavirus in the pediatric population of Barcelona, Spain.

BACKGROUND: The role of group C rotavirus as a cause of childhood diarrhea is not well defined. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of human group C rotavirus in stools of children in Barcelona, Spain, and to describe the genetic diversity of the rotavirus capsid proteins - VP6, VP7 and VP4 - in these samples. STUDY DESIGN: Stool specimens were assayed for rotavirus C RNA by an RT-PCR/southern-blot technique that included controls to indicate the presence of inhibitors of RT-PCR in the samples. RESULTS: Human rotavirus C was detected in 3 of 467 samples. One hundred and forty-five (31%) of these samples showed the presence of inhibitors of the RT-PCR assay. Thus, the corrected estimation for detection of group C rotavirus in Barcelona was of 1%. The entire VP4, VP6 and VP7 sequences were determined for all three isolates, revealing the relatedness of two of them to strains circulating in Europe, while the third was very close to sub-Saharan African strains. CONCLUSION: The low rate of detection of group C rotavirus suggests that it is not an emerging pathogen in children in our region.