[Astrovirus infection in children with gastroenteritis]

We report here a 2 year study (1997-1998) of astrovirus infection in children admitted to our hospital. The epidmioligical and clinical features of the infection were also investigated.

A total of 1.815 stool specimens were tested during a two-year period (january 1997- december 1998). They were collected from children less than 3 years of age admitted to La Paz Hospital (Madrid) with acute gastroenteritis. We used a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme inmunoassay (IDEIA Astrovirus, DAKO) to detect astrovirus antigen in faecal samples.

Astroviruses were detected in 79 of the 1.815 analysed samples. This represented an incidence of 4,3%. The main symptom of infection was watery diarrhoea, and it was often associated with vomiting and fever. The majority of astrovirus infection occurred between the coldest months of the year. Children under a year of age were the most susceptible population. There was a considerable number of patients (62%) who develop the infection after 72 hours of admission.

The rate of detection reported here illustrates the importance of this pathogen in childhood diarrhoea, so we recommend its screening on a routine basis.