Epidemiology and genotypes of group A rotaviruses in cattle and goats of Bangladesh, 2009-2010

Group A rotavirus (RVA) is recognized as a major cause of severe gastroenteritis in newborn calves and goat kids. We estimated the proportion of ruminants infected with rotavirus and identified the circulating genotypes in cattle and goats in Bangladesh. Between May 2009 and August 2010, fecal samples were collected from 520 cattle and goats presenting with diarrhea at three government veterinary hospitals in three districts of Bangladesh. All samples were screened for RVA RNA using real-time, one-step, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Of the 520 animals tested, 11.7% (61) were positive for RVA RNA, with 6.2% (15/241) and 16.5% (46/279) positivity in cattle and goats, respectively. RVA positive samples were further characterized by nucleotide sequence analysis of two structural…