Occurrence of group A rotavirus mixed P genotypes infections in children living in Goiânia-Goiás, Brazil.

Group A rotaviruses (RVA) are the main causing agents of acute gastroenteritis worldwide, having a great impact on childhood mortality in developing countries. The objective of this study was to identify RVA-positive fecal samples with mixed P genotypes by hemi-nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), followed by sequencing confirmation. Our results showed that, from the 81 RVA-positive samples, 25 were positive for more than one P genotype by hemi-nested RT-PCR. Of these 25 samples, 12 (48%) had their mixed P genotypes confirmed by sequencing and, from these, 10 were identified as P[6]P[8], one as P[4]P[6], and one as P[4]P[6]P[8]. Our results confirm the occurrence of RVA mixed infections among children in Brazil and reinforce the importance of the constant monitoring of RVA circulating strains for the efficacy of control/prevention against these agents.