Genetic diversity of enteric viruses responsible of gastroenteritis in urban and rural Burkina Faso

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol. 18; no. 7; p. e0012228
• Main Authors: Badjo, Ange Oho Roseline, Niendorf, Sandra, Jacobsen, Sonja, Zongo, Arsène, Mas Marques, Andreas, Vietor, Ann Christin, Kabore, Nongodo Firmin, Poda, Armel, Some, Satouro Arsène, Ouattara, Aminata, Ouangraoua, Soumeya, Schubert, Grit, Eckmanns, Tim, Leendertz, Fabian H, Belarbi, Essia, Ouedraogo, Abdoul-Salam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 08-07-2024; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biological diversity; Biology and Life Sciences; Burkina Faso - epidemiology; Caliciviridae Infections - epidemiology; Caliciviridae Infections - virology; Causes of; Child; Child, Preschool; Computer and Information Sciences; Earth Sciences; Feces - virology; Female; Gastroenteritis; Gastroenteritis - epidemiology; Gastroenteritis - virology; Genetic aspects; Genetic Variation; Genotype; Health aspects; Humans; Identification and classification; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Mamastrovirus - classification; Mamastrovirus - genetics; Mamastrovirus - isolation & purification; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Norovirus - classification; Norovirus - genetics; Norovirus - isolation & purification; People and places; Phylogeny; Prevalence; RNA virus infections; RNA viruses; Rotavirus - classification; Rotavirus - genetics; Rotavirus - isolation & purification; Rural Population; Sapovirus - classification; Sapovirus - genetics; Sapovirus - isolation & purification; Statistics; Urban Population; Virus research; Young Adult; Burkina Faso
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012228

Viral gastrointestinal infections remain a major public health concern in developing countries. In Burkina Faso, there are very limited updated data on the circulating viruses and their genetic diversity.
This study investigates the detection rates and characteristics of rotavirus A (RVA), norovirus (NoV), sapovirus (SaV) and human astrovirus (HAstV) in patients of all ages with acute gastrointestinal infection in urban and rural areas.
From 2018 to 2021, stool samples from 1,295 patients with acute gastroenteritis were collected and screened for RVA, NoV, SaV and HAstV. Genotyping and phylogenetic analyses were performed on a subset of samples.
At least one virus was detected in 34.1% of samples. NoV and SaV were predominant with detection rates of respectively 10.5 and 8.8%. We identified rare genotypes of NoV GII, RVA and HAstV, recombinant HAstV strains and a potential zoonotic RVA transmission event.
We give an up-to-date epidemiological picture of enteric viruses in Burkina Faso, showing a decrease in prevalence but a high diversity of circulating strains. However, viral gastroenteritis remains a public health burden, particularly in pediatric settings. Our data advocate for the implementation of routine viral surveillance and updated management algorithms for diarrheal disease.