Epidemiology, diversity and zoonotic potential of porcine rotaviruses: A review with indian perspective

Acute viral gastroenteritis is a major cause of mortality in young animals and children globally. Rotaviruses (RVs) are more commonly associated with clinical diarrhoea in a wide range of host species like human, swine, bovine, ovine, caprine, equine, avian and wild mammals. Piglets and mature porcine species are frequently diagnosed with RV infections leading to high mortality and morbidity. Among the eight established species, RV-A to H (RVA-RVH), five are found linked with porcine species viz. RVA, RVB, RVC, RVE and RVH. Amid all of them, RVA is the most explored species worldwide whereas scarce reports on other porcine RVs are available in Indian pig population. Pig farming could serve as an easy way to provide financial safety umbrella to majority of poor people in India. Hitherto reports confirm higher RV prevalence in the north-eastern states of India, followed by northern, southern and western regions. Several evidences of homologies of porcine RVs with the cognate gene of human RVs support zoonotic potentiality of these viruses. As on date, limited diagnostic assays with high sensitivity, specificity are available for easy and rapid detection of these viruses at farmer's door-step, which limits knowing the exact magnitude of problem in epidemiological term. Here, we provide the information on occurrences of porcine RVs, available diagnostic methods, zoonotic potential and control strategies.