An unusual group A rotavirus (RVA) strain (RVA/Human-tc/EGY/AS997/2012/G9[14]) was isolated for the first time in a faecal sample from a 6-month-old child who was hospitalized for treatment of acute gastroenteritis in Egypt in 2012. Whole-genome analysis showed that the strain AS997 had a unique genotype constellation: G9-P[14]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A11-N2-T1-E2-H1. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the strain AS997 had the consensus P[14] genotype constellation with the G9, T1 and H1 reassortment. This suggests either a mixed gene configuration originated from a human Wa-like strain and a P[14]-containing animal virus, or that this P[14] could have been acquired via reassortment of human strains only. The study shows the possible roles of interspecies transmission and multiple reassortment events leading to the generation of novel rotavirus genotypes and underlines the importance of whole-genome characterization of rotavirus strains in surveillance studies.
Keywords: Egypt; RVA; characterization; reassortment; strain G9P[14]; unique genotype constellation.