Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of rotavirus in children suffered from diarrhea under five years old in Thi-Qar Provience, of Iraq

Abstract EN

The objective of this study is to determine the frequency of the one most important enteric viruses (rotavirus group A) in stool specimens of children aged less than five years, The age ,sex related distribution, seasonal pattern and clinical symptoms.

A total of 100 fecal specimens (including 63 males and 37 females) are collected from infants and children under five years of age in Thi-Qar Province south of Iraq during Five Months (From November 2017 To March2018).

According to diarrhea suffered children which revealed that 45% are caused by Rotavirus, the frequency of male children patients with diarrhea caused by rotavirus was higher than their female.

The samples are categorized into eight groups according to the age of the children: 1-5 months, 6-10 months, 11-15months, 16- 20 months, 21-25 months, 26-30 months, 31-35 months and 36-40 months.

Age specific frequency in children patients with diarrhea, caused by rotavirus is high in aged 11-15 months.

According to results the percentage of infection with rotavirus show that 16 (35.6%) children are fed on Breast feeding, 22 (48.9%) children are fed on bottle feeding and 7 (15.6%) children are fed on mixed feeding.

RT-qPCR is performed for detection of Rotavirus based on VP6 gene.

Also RT-PCR technique is performed on some positive isolates in RT-qPCR method that used for Rotavirus genotyping by using DNA sequencing analysis.

In Rotavirus phylogenetic tree analysis, results are show that the local Rotavirus isolate (IQ-C1) are closed related to NCBI-Blast Rotavirus (JQ069617.1) (EF472951.1).