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Overview of rotavirus infections in Korea
Insights
Rotavirus gastroenteritis is common in young Korean children, particularly those aged 6-24 months. Recent outbreaks show a shift in predominant serotypes, necessitating updated vaccination strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Virology
Background:
- Rotavirus is a leading cause of acute watery diarrhea in young Korean children.
- The impending availability of a rotavirus vaccine necessitates understanding recent epidemic serotypes and clinical features in Korean children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the serotype distribution and clinical characteristics of rotavirus infection in Korean children over the past 20 years.
- To inform the implementation of a rotavirus vaccination program.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of published studies on Korean children with rotavirus gastroenteritis from the past 20 years.
- Analysis of rotavirus prevalence, age distribution, clinical symptoms, and serotype data.
Main Results:
- Rotavirus caused 46% of acute gastroenteritis hospitalizations in children; 84% of cases were in children aged 6-24 months.
- Common symptoms included vomiting, respiratory issues, and fever; transient liver enzyme elevation and afebrile convulsions were also noted.
- The epidemic peak shifted from November towards late winter/early spring.
- While G1 was historically dominant, recent outbreaks (1998-1999) showed a predominance of G4, with G1, G2, G3, and G4 comprising 95% of recent isolates.
Conclusions:
- Rotavirus remains a significant pathogen in Korean children, with specific age and seasonal patterns.
- The emergence of non-G1 predominant serotypes highlights the need for vaccine strain selection to consider evolving rotavirus epidemiology.
Abstract:
Rotavirus is the most common cause of acute watery diarrhea in young Korean children. Rotavirus vaccine will soon be available, and information is urgently required about the serotype distribution of recent epidemics and clinical characteristics of rotavirus infection in Korean children before the implementation of a vaccination program against rotavirus. We reviewed published studies of the past 20 years, carried out on Korean children with rotavirus gastroenteritis. Rotavirus was estimated to be responsible for 46% of 4668 hospitalized Korean children with acute gastroenteritis. Rotavirus gastroenteritis was most prevalent among children aged 6-24 months, which accounted for 84% of all cases. Asymptomatic rotavirus infection was common. Rotavirus was one of the most commonly identified enteric pathogens in nosocomial diarrhea. Vomiting, respiratory symptoms and fever were prominent symptoms in rotavirus gastroenteritis. Transient elevation of liver enzymes, pulmonic infiltration and rarely afebrile convulsion were also observed. The epidemic peak, which occurred in November of the last 15 years, has been moving toward late winter and early spring in recent years. No apparent cause has been found to explain this alteration of peak seasonality. All serotyping studies in Korea for the past 10 years until 1997 revealed that G1 was most prevalent (45-81%). Interestingly, the predominant G serotype of the recent outbreaks in 1998 and 1999 was not G1 but G4. Approximately 95% of rotavirus isolates in recent outbreaks belonged to serotype G1, 2, 3 or 4.