A study on the possibility of zoonotic infection in rotaviral diarrhoea among calves and buffalo calves in and around Kolkata, India

S.M. Nataraju, U.K. Chattopadhyay, T. Krishnan*

All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health, Government of India, Kolkata (India) *National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata (India)

---

• Infectious Diseases

Group A and group B rotaviruses are important diarrhea causing agents among calves and buffalo calves. Epidemiological studies in Indian calves revealed the predominance of group A rotavirus strains with G6, G8, and G10 specificity and group B rotaviruses. A total of 95 fecal samples were collected from calves and buffalo calves affected with diarrhea from an unorganized cattle farm and two cattle markets in and around Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal of Eastern India. Rotaviruses were detected in 23.15% (22/95) samples by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Of 22 rotavirus positive cases, 10.52% (10/95) samples showed characteristic group A rotavirus-like long type electropherotype (e-type) pattern and 4.21% (4/95) samples showed the characteristic group B rotavirus long type of electropherotype pattern and in 8.42% (8/95) the electropherotype pattern could not be recorded. Out of 22 positive samples, 7 samples of group A rotaviruses were subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, using VP7 generic and genotype [G type] specific primers and 2 of 7 isolates were identified as G10.

Corresponding Author: Utpal Kumar Chattopadh, MD; e-mail: chattopadhyayuk@yahoo.com