Diversity of Rotavirus VP7 and VP4 Genotypes in Northwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Background. Nigeria has recently been ranked third among the 10 countries with the greatest number of rotavirus disease-associated deaths per year. Estimates attribute up to 33,000 deaths annually to rotavirus disease in Nigerian children Methods. Between July 2002 and July 2004, fecal specimens were collected from 869 infants and young children Results. Rotavirus was detected in 18% of children with diarrhea and 7.2% of the age-matched case control subjects. The highest rotavirus burden was detected in children aged Conclusions. The high numbers of mixed rotavirus infections highlight the multitude of enteric pathogens to which children in African countries are exposed. Data on circulating rotavirus strains serve to inform African government officials to the serious health threat posed by rotavirus in their respective countries and to document the diversity of strains before vaccine introduction.