RNA-RNA hybridization identifies a human rotavirus that is genetically related to feline rotavirus.

A human rotavirus AU228 strain which resembled the AU-1 strain (O. Nakagomi, T. Nakagomi, Y. Hoshino, J. Flores, and A. Z. Kapikian, J. Clin. Microbiol. 25:1159-1164, 1987) in its novel characteristics (that it belonged to subgroup I yet possessed a long RNA pattern) was compared with various human and animal strains by RNA-RNA hybridization in solution. This strain showed a high degree of homology with the AU-1 strain but not with either the Wa (subgroup II, long pattern) or the KUN (subgroup I, short pattern) strain, indicating the presence of an additional group of human rotaviruses that do not belong to either of the two human rotavirus families previously identified by RNA-RNA hybridization. It is of particular interest that the AU228 strain showed an unexpectedly high degree of homology with a feline rotavirus isolated recently in Japan. These results indicate transmission of a feline rotavirus to humans and suggest a role of animal rotaviruses in the evolution of human rotaviruses.