Genomic relatedness of five equine rotavirus strains with different G serotype and P type specificities.

Overall genomic relatedness among five equine rotavirus strains and their relatedness to representative human and animal rotavirus strains were investigated by RNA-RNA hybridization tests. The genomes of strains FI-14, FI-23 and H2 were highly related to one another. Strain L338 had only a low degree of genomic relatedness to the other four equine rotavirus strains. Strain H1 also showed little genetic relatedness to the other equine strains. The genome of the strain H1, however, was highly related to those of porcine rotavirus strains OSU, Gottfried and YM. Genomic relatedness of four equine rotavirus strains (FI-14, FI-23, H2 and L338) to human and other animal rotavirus strains was low, whereas several RNA segments of strain H1 showed a relatedness to those of human strain Wa.