Eight-year survey of human rotavirus strains demonstrates circulation of unusual G and P types in Hungary.

Between 1992 and 2000, a total of 4173 rotavirus-positive samples were collected from two areas of Hungary. Of these, 2020 specimens (48.4%) were analyzed for G serotype, using monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay and reverse transcription-PCR. By the two methods, 1789 samples were specified as G1 (62%), G2 (12.2%), G3 (1.4%), G4 (6.4%), G6 (1.0%), G9 (2.9%), or mixed infection (2.6%), and the remaining 231 (11.4%) could not be G typed. The linkage between G and P type, subgroup specificity, and RNA profile was investigated with a sample subset. Among these specimens, we identified both the four globally common strains (P[8],G1 subgroup II (sgII); P[4],G2 sgI; P[8],G3 sgII; and P[8],G4 sgII) and six uncommon strains (P[6],G4 sgII; P[9],G3 sgI; P[9],G6 sgI; P[14],G6 sgI; P[8],G9 sgII; and P[8],G9 sgI). All strains with P[8], P[6], P[9], and P[14] specificities had a long electropherotype, whereas most of those carrying a P[4] specificity were associated with a short electropherotype. Although once considered to be rare, P[9],G6 and P[8],G9 rotavirus strains represent potentially important new serotypes in Hungary.