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About the Authors:
Lauren A. Rackoff
Affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Karin Bok
Affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Kim Y. Green
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Albert Z. Kapikian
Affiliation: Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Introduction
Diarrhea has consistently been described as the second leading cause of mortality among children under five years old worldwide [1]. Rotaviruses are the single most important agents of acute diarrhea associated with mortality in this age group, as these viruses were estimated to cause approximately 453,000 deaths a year, mostly in countries of Africa and Asia [2]. Noroviruses are the second leading cause of viral gastroenteritis in children under five years old, and are estimated to cause as many as 200,000 deaths annually among children in this age group in developing countries [3].
Rotaviruses belong to the family Reoviridae, and are classified into three groups: A, B, and C, with group A being most commonly associated with gastroenteritis in infants and young children. Group A rotaviruses have a segmented dsRNA genome, which encodes in part for two antigenic outer capsid proteins that are used for viral classification: VP7 (G-type [glycoprotein]) and VP4 (P-type [protease-sensitive protein]) [4]. There are 27 VP7 genotypes and 35 VP4 genotypes that can infect animals and/or humans [5]. The most prevalent G-types that infect humans globally are characteristically G1 through G4, with G9 and G12 emerging in prevalence and G8 and G10 more geographically restricted [4], [6]–[9]. Rotavirus vaccines have significantly reduced the disease burden in Europe, Australia, and the USA, therefore the World Health Organization (WHO) now recommends the inclusion of rotavirus vaccines in childhood vaccine schedules globally [10]. However, rotavirus vaccines are less efficacious in developing countries [11], which demonstrates the need for improved preventive and therapeutic strategies in areas...