Genome analysis of vaccine-resistant group A rotavirus based on genomics and computational science methods

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K21441
• Project/Area Number (Other): 18H06358 (2018)
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund (2019); Single-year Grants (2018)
• Review Section: 0908:Society medicine, nursing, and related fields
• Research Institution: Osaka Institute of Public Health
• Principal Investigator: ikemori Ryo 地方独立行政法人 大阪健康安全基盤研究所, 微生物部, 研究員 (90827255)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-08-24 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: A群ロタウイルス / ワクチン / ゲノム解析 / 疫学解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Recently it is indicated that the group A rotavirus (RVA) has the ability to escape from vaccine selective pressure after the introduction of live attenuated vaccines in Japan. We tried to elucidate the epidemic situation which RVA causes the major leading strain by performing the genome analysis and diversity analysis of RVA epidemic strains from the fecal specimens with acute gastroenteritis patients after vaccination. As a result, although RVA formed mono phylogenetic cluster in this study, the substitution of amino acids accumulated in neutralization epitope sites of VP7. It suggested that RVA was persistent in the community with changing of antigenicity to escape against herd immunity.

Free Research Field

公衆衛生学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ワクチン導入後のRVA流行株を解析した結果、アミノ酸配列の多様性が、ウイルス粒子の外殻を構成するVP7のエピトープ領域のみならず、内殻を構成するVP6、病原性および感染細胞内での増殖性に寄与するNSP4にも確認された。この成果から、今後、ワクチンの選択圧下で流行株にアミノ酸配列の変異が蓄積することにより、様々な抗原性状および病原性のRVAが流行する可能性が示された。以上より、新規ワクチン開発の計画に必要な、現在流行しているRVAの遺伝学的情報の収集に貢献した。