Prevalence and molecular characteristics of rotaviruses from Polish turkey flocks between 2008 and 2011

Between 2008 and 2011, commercial turkey flocks in Poland were examined for the presence of rotaviruses. Ten faecal swabs from each of 207 turkey flocks (turkeys aged one to 19 weeks) were collected in different regions of the country and tested using a PCR assay that targeted the NSP4 gene. The prevalence of rotavirus was 20.3% in the flocks tested. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a clear division into groups dependent on geographical origin of the analysed viruses. All Polish rotaviruses belonged to the European group. However, they were found to be genetically variable based on the sequence analysis. The most frequently identified rotaviruses belonged to RV-1 subgroup and two of them formed a distinct subgroup of RV-2. Rotaviruses were detected in healthy and enteric turkeys. The observed amino acid changes probably did not affect the group affiliation, nor the pathogenecity of the studied rotavirus strains.