Full Genomic Analysis of Rabbit Rotavirus G3P[14] Strain N5 in China: Identification of a Novel VP6 Genotype

Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) are major pathogens associated with acute gastroenteritis in young children and in a wide variety of domestic animals. The full-length genome of a rabbit RVA strain, RVA/Rabbit-tc/CHN/N5/1992/G3P[14], showed a G3-P[14]-I17-R3-C3-M3-A9-N1-T1-E3-H2 genomic configuration. A novel VP6 genotype, I17, was confirmed by the Rotavirus Classification Working Group. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that strain N5 possessed VP1-3, VP7, NSP1-2 and NSP4 genes closely related to those of the simian strain TUCH, NSP3 and NSP5 genes closely related to the human strains Wa and 69M, and a VP4 gene closely related to the rabbit strain 30/96 and sheep strain OVR762. The RRV and TUCH shared their ancestry with canine/feline RVAs and showed a close relationship to the human T152/feline-like RVAs. Comparison with the genotypes of the simian strains TUCH and RRV, canine strains A79-10, CU-1, K9, feline strains Cat2 and Cat97, and human strains T152 and 69M showed that RVA/Rabbit-tc/CHN/N5/1992/G3P[14] was possibly of feline/canine origin, or was a multiple reassortment involving canine, feline and human rotaviruses. The sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of rotavirus genomes is critical to the elucidation of the patterns of virus evolution.