Attachment to carbohydrates of the histo-blood group type of several human Rotavirus strains (RVA) has recently been described. Synthesis of these ligands requires a functional FUT2 enzyme, suggesting that FUT2 null homozygote (ie, nonsecretor) individuals may not be recognized by most human RVA strains. Whereas such individuals represent 20% of the control population, this retrospective study determined that none of 51 patients infected by P[8] rotavirus strains were nonsecretors. The lack of α1,2fucosylated carbohydrate motifs in the gut surface mucosa is thus associated with resistance to symptomatic infection and virus attachment to such motifs is essential to the infection process.
Keywords: FUT2; histo-blood group antigens; ligands; rotavirus; secretor phenotype.