Diversity of human rotavirus G and P genotypes in Panama, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic.

In this study 2,089 fecal samples from patients with gastroenteritis were analyzed from different hospitals in Panama, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic during the period comprised between December 2002 and July 2003. One hundred samples per country from the positives to the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine the G and P genotypes: in Panama, Costa Rica, and Dominican Republic the combinations G and P have a great diversity and unusual genotypes. These results highlight an unexpected diversity among rotavirus strains in these countries and emphasize the need for further serologic and genetic surveys on more rotavirus strains in Central America and the Caribbean. In this context, the next generation of rotavirus vaccines will need to provide adequate protection against diseases caused by unusual genotypes. These results represent the second report of rotavirus genotypes in Costa Rica and first-time reports of rotavirus genotypes in Panama and the Dominican Republic.