Australian Rotavirus Surveillance Program annual report, 2007/08.

The National Rotavirus Reference Centre together with collaborating laboratories Australia-wide conducts a laboratory based rotavirus surveillance program. This report describes the types of rotavirus strains responsible for the hospitalisation of children with acute gastroenteritis during the period 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008, the first complete year of surveillance following introduction of rotavirus into the National Immunisation Program. Six hundred faecal samples from across Australia were examined using a combined approach of monoclonal antibody immunoassays and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Of the 419 confirmed as rotavirus positive, serotype G1 was the dominant serotype nationally, representing 52% of specimens, followed by serotype G2 (19.8%), serotype G9 (12.2%), and serotype G3 (11%). No serotype G4 strains were identified. All G1, G3 and G9 strains assayed for P genotype contained the P[8] genotype, while all G2 strains contained the P[4] genotype, except one G2 strain which possessed a P[8]. Uncommon rotavirus genotypes, G8 (n = 2) and P[9] (n = 2) were identified during this study period. There was no evidence of unexpected changes in serotype distribution during the first 12 months of rotavirus vaccine use in the National Immunisation Program.