Are the clinical characteristics of rotavirus gastroenteritis caused by the G8P[8] strain different from those caused by non-G8 strains in children?
The rotavirus G8P[8] outbreak strain in Japan showed similar clinical characteristics to non-G8 strains and likely emerged through multiple reassortment events.
During March-July 2014, rotavirus G8P8 emerged as the predominant cause of rotavirus gastroenteritis among children in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Clinical characteristics were similar for infections caused by G8 and non-G8 strains. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses suggest the strains were generated by multiple reassortment events between DS-1-like P8 strains and bovine strains from Asia.
Kondo et al. (Fri,) studied this question.