Group A rotavirus genotypes in hospital-acquired gastroenteritis in Italy, 2012–14

Background Group A rotaviruses (RVA) are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in young (aged <5 years) children, causing ∼250,000 deaths worldwide, mostly in developing countries. Differences on nucleotide sequences of VP7 (G-type) and VP4 (P-type) genes are the basis for the binary RVA nomenclature. Although at least 32 G-types and 47 P-types of rotavirus are presently known, most RVA infections in humans worldwide are related to five major G/P combinations: G1P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G4P[8], and G9P[8]. Aim To provide the hospitals of the Italian surveillance network with update information on RVA AGE. Methods During RVA gastroenteritis surveillance in Italy in 2012–14, a total of 2341 RVA-positive faecal samples were collected from children hospitalized with AGE, and RVA strains were genotyped following standard EuroRotaNet protocols. Findings Most strains analysed belonged to the five major human genotypes and 118 out of 2341 (5.0%) were reported to be hospital-acquired. Comparison of the distributions of the RVA genotypes circulating in the community or associated with nosocomial infections showed a different distribution of genotypes circulating inside the hospital wards, with respect to those observed in the community. G1P[8] and G9P[8] RVA strains were detected frequently, whereas G12P[8] caused a single large nosocomial outbreak. Conclusion The information from this study will be useful to implement guidelines for preventing RVA AGE and optimizing the management of patients in hospital wards.