Human rotavirus genotypes in hospitalized children, South Korea, April 2005 to March 2007

Availability of new rotavirus vaccines highlights the need to maintain and enhance rotavirus strain surveillance. We collected stool samples from children with gastroenteritis admitted to eight hospitals in South Korea from April 2005 to March 2007. Of the 6057 samples collected, 1337 (22%) were positive for rotavirus by one of several antigen detection assays. G and P genotypes were identified for 1299 (97%) of rotavirus-positive specimens. G1P[8] (36%) was the most prevalent strain, followed by G3P[8] (16%), G4P[6] (8.9%) and G1P[6] (8.2%). G1P[8] was also the most prevalent strain in each hospital. Seasonal peaks of rotavirus infection were noted from November 2005 to April 2006 and January to March 2007. This large-scale surveillance study provides important insights into rotavirus genotype distribution and pattern changes in South Korea.