TY - JOUR T1 - Phylogeography and Evolutionary analysis of African Rotavirus A genotype G12 reveals district genetic diversification within Lineage III JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/591297 SP - 591297 AU - Babatunde Olanrewaju Motayo AU - Olukunle Oluwasemowo AU - Babatunde Adebiyi Olusola AU - Adewale Victor Opayele AU - Adedayo Omotayo Faneye Y1 - 2019/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/06/19/591297.abstract N2 - Rotavirus genotype G12 has become one of the most prevalent genotypes of rotavirus in Africa. To understand the drivers for its genetic diversity we investigated the Bayesian phylogeney, evolution and population demography of the genotype G12 Africa. Rotavirus genotype G12, VP7 sequences were downloaded and aligned from twelve African countries (n=96). Phylogenetic analysis, Evolutionary analysis and Bayesian Phylogeography was carried out, using MEGA Vs 6, BEAST, and SPREAD3. Phylogeny showed that all the African sequences fell into lineage III diversifying into two major clades. The evolutionary rate was 1.678×10-3 (95%HPD, 1.201×10-3 -2.198×10-3) substitutions/ site/ year. The MCC tree topology clustered into three lineages (II, III, IV), African strains diversified into three clusters within lineage III. South Africa was the epicentre of viral dispersal. This study shows the potential for genetic diversification of Rotavirus G12 in Africa, continuous molecular surveillance across Africa is recommended to help control effort.Highlights Our study revealed that African G12 rotaviruses have diversified into 3 clades within their parental lineage III based on geographic boundaries.Nigeria was identified Nigeria as country of origin, while South Africa served as the epicentre of dispersal of the genotype across Africa.We also discovered that they have a constant demographic profile. Our findings reveal the potential for rapid genetic diversity of Rotavirus G12 and highlight the importance of molecular surveillance in Rotavirus control effort. ER -