Whole-Genome Analysis of G2P[4] Rotavirus Strains in China in 2022 and Comparison of Their Antigenic Epitopes with Vaccine Strains.
Ruyi Che, Jiaxin Fan, Guangping Xiong, Lingshan Kong, Mengjie Dong, Yi Li, Peng Wang, Jianguang Fu, Zhenlu Sun, Song Liu, Caixia Li, Xuan Feng, Xiaoman Sun, Dandi Li, Zhaojun Duan
Author Information
Ruyi Che: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases (NITFID), NHC Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Disease, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102200, China. ORCID
Jiaxin Fan: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases (NITFID), NHC Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Disease, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102200, China.
Guangping Xiong: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases (NITFID), NHC Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Disease, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102200, China.
Lingshan Kong: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases (NITFID), NHC Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Disease, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102200, China. ORCID
Mengjie Dong: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases (NITFID), NHC Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Disease, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102200, China.
Yi Li: Henan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhengzhou 450016, China.
Peng Wang: Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou 730000, China.
Jianguang Fu: Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing 210009, China. ORCID
Zhenlu Sun: Yantai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Yantai 264003, China.
Song Liu: Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan 266000, China.
Caixia Li: Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, China.
Xuan Feng: Shaanxi Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xi'an 710054, China.
Xiaoman Sun: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases (NITFID), NHC Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Disease, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102200, China.
Dandi Li: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases (NITFID), NHC Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Disease, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102200, China.
Zhaojun Duan: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases (NITFID), NHC Key Laboratory for Medical Virology and Viral Disease, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102200, China. ORCID
Group A rotavirus (RVA) is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in infants and young children worldwide. To elucidate the molecular epidemiology of G2P[4] rotavirus in China and the protective effects of vaccines, whole-genome analysis of 13 G2P[4] RVA strains collected from China in 2022 was performed. Twelve strains possessed the typical DS-1-like genome constellation G2-P[4]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2. Only GS2265 possessed the genome constellation G2-P[4]-12-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E1-H2. With the exception of the NSP4 segment of GS2265, all other sequences of the 13 G2P[4] RVA strains clustered within the same lineage on phylogenetic analysis. However, QD2210 and SX2205 were grouped into different branches compared to the other strains. In the VP7 antigenic epitopes, four residues differed from the RotaTeq G2 strain; specifically, A87T and D96N in the 7-1a region and S213D and S242N in the 7-1b region. Comparison of the current G2P[4] RVA strains circulating in China with those circulating globally revealed a high degree of sequence identity. High genetic variability among the newly characterized G2P[4] RVA strains suggest the strains evolve fast. Finally, our data suggest that the multivalent RotaTeq vaccine could have provided better protection than the monovalent Rotarix and LLR.
