ROTAVIRUS INFECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS
The rotavirus caused infections incidence in the Republic of Belarus was analyzed by the official statistical data (2006-2015) and the data concerning Minsk Municipal Childish Infectious Clinical Hospital hospitalization (2012-2015). Considerable differences between the rotavirus infection (RVI) actual incidence and the officially registered one were identified. More than 75.6% of the RVI cases were revealed to be registered during winter and spring. Children 6 months - 2 years of age were involved predominantly in the epidemiological process - 72.4% of all cases reported belonged to that age group. Genotyping of 505 rotaviruses (368 viruses circulating in 2012-2015 in Minsk, 137 viruses - in Belarus regions during the epidemic season of 2014) using the semi-nested multiplex RT-PCR suggested that seven rotavirus genotypes had been circulating in Minsk. They were the following: G4P[8] (59.2%±2.5%), G1P[8] (18.5%±2.0%), G9P[8] (8.5%±1.4%), G2P[4] (6.3%±1.3%), G3P[8] (5.7%±1,1%), G12P[8] (0.8%±0.5%), and G3P[9] (0.5%±0.3%). Despite the fact that genotype G4P[8] circulated mostly during all the years the proportion of genotypes G1P[8] and G9P[8] increased to 23.4% and 10.2% in 2014-2015 against 12.3% and 6.1%, respectively. Genotypes G4P[8] and G1P[8] were dominating both in Minsk and in the regions of Belarus during the 2014 epidemic season. Those genotypes proportion varied from 41.6% in Gomel region to 83.3% in Minsk. The other genotypes circulation limited to certain regions (G3P[8] and G2P[4] circulated in Brest, Gomel, Grodno and Mogilev regions and Minsk; G2P[4]; G3P[9]- in Mogilev region and Minsk; G9P[8] and G12P[8]- in Minsk; G2P [8] - in Vitebsk region). The epidemiological data and the results of the circulating rotavirus genotyping demonstrated feasibility of the vaccination against rotavirus infection introduction in Belarus.