Rotavirus strain surveillance--an Australian perspective of strains causing disease in hospitalised children from 1997 to 2007.

This study documents rotavirus strains causing severe disease in Australian children during the pre-vaccine era. During the period 1997-2007, rotavirus strains from national multi-centre hospital-based surveillance in Australia were analysed for G and P types. G1P[8] was the dominant genotype identified during the 11-year study, with intermittent peaks associated with genotypes G2P[4], G3P[8] and G9P[8]. The results provide baseline information of the G and P genotypes causing disease in Australian children, and highlight the unpredictable changes in genotype incidence that can occur on both a local and national level. To be optimally effective, rotavirus vaccines must prevent disease caused by all common rotavirus genotypes.