Rotavirus Surveillance in Europe, 2005–2008: Web-Enabled Reporting and Real-Time Analysis of Genotyping and Epidemiological Data

Abstract

Background: The first European rotavirus surveillance network, EuroRotaNet, comprising 16 laboratories in 15 European countries, has been established. Methods: Fecal samples from gastroenteritis cases positive for group A rotavirus antigen were collected from multiple European countries from 2005 to mid‐2008 and were subjected to G and P genotyping. Epidemiological data collected included age, sex, geographical location, setting, dates of onset and sample collection, and clinical symptoms. Results: A total of 8879 rotavirus‐positive samples were characterized: 2129 cases were from the 2005–2006 season, 4030 from the 2006–2007 season, and 2720 from the ongoing 2007–2008 season. A total of 30 different G and P type combinations of strains circulated in the region from 2005 through 2008. Of these strains, 90% had genotypes commonly associated with human infections—G1P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G4P[8], and G9P[8]—and 1.37% represented potential zoonotic introductions. G1P[8] remained the most prevalent genotype in Europe as a whole, but the incidence of infection with G1P[8] rotavirus strains was