INVESTIGAÇÃO DE ROTAVÍRUS A EM CRIANÇAS DE ATÉ CINCO ANOS DE IDADE NO MUNICÍPIO DE GUARAPUAVA – PR

Abstract

Diarrheal disease is among the leading causes of infant morbidity and mortality, the group A rotavirus is the most important as a cause of gastroenteritis in children. It is estimated that it is responsible for 453,000 deaths in children under five years of age worldwide. Rotavirus are classified into groups accordant to VP6 antigenic specificity and had been describe the literature groups A-B. VP4 and VP7 viral are too importants for genotypes or serotypes determination according to variability of the gene encoding the VP4 protein is called the letter P followed by a number and VP7 the letter G followed by a number. Twenty-three G and thirty P genotypes have been identified causing infections in humans and animals. The infection caused by rotavirus presents similar incidence rates in developed and developing countries, thus to whe considered the vaccination essential for reduce the. In Brazil, in March 2006, the National Immunization Program included oral human rotavirus vaccine with antigen specificity G1P8. After started the vaccination several studies showed the benefits in reducing the number of infections, hospitalizations and mortality caused by rotavirus. The objective of this study was to investigate the infection caused by rotavirus in children until to five years of old, vaccinated and unvaccinated with gastroenteritis in Guarapuava - PR. On hundred sixty stool samples from children under age five attended in the public health service Guarapuava - PR, were included our study between the months of March 2011 through February 2012. Nested multiplex RT-PCR assays for VP4 and VP7 genes amplification and determination of viral genotypes more frequently identified in humans were optimized. The children include had a mean of 2.8 and a median of 3 years, of old and the average of rotavirus vaccination rate was 83.85%. The RT-PCR assays for detection and genotyping of rotavirus group A, were standardized and showed good yield, but no rotavirus infection cases were detected in 160 stool samples from children with gastroenteritis for up to five years of age. This result suggests a reduction of rotavirus infection caused by rotavirus in children with high vaccination coverage rate in Guarapuava.