Figure 3

Genomic RNA protection assay performed by treating sera of four antigenemia patients with benzonase endonuclease. The photo of agarose gel electrophoresis shows an amplicon of the VP6 gene. Lane 1, contains a 100 bp molecular weight marker. In lanes 2, 5, 8 and 11, VP6 amplicons (479 bp) are present in RNA extracted from sera but not treated with benzonase endonuclease. In lanes 3, 6, 9 and 12, VP6 amplicons are absent in RNA extracted from sera then treated with benzonase endonuclease. In lanes 4, 7, 10 and 13, VP6 amplicons are absent in RNA extracted from sera that had been treated with benzonase endonuclease; and lane 14 contains negative control. The absence of amplicons of VP6 gene in sera treated with benzonase indicates that intact rotavirus particles were absent in sera of patients with antigenemia, and therefore RNA was degraded.