Related Experiment Videos
First detection of group C rotavirus in children with acute diarrhea in Spain
A Sánchez-Fauquier1, E Roman, J Colomina
1Viral Gastroenteritis Section, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Madrid, Spain.
Insights
Group C rotavirus causes diarrhea in children. This study found it is a significant cause of acute diarrhea in Spanish children, previously undetected in this population.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Group C rotavirus is a known cause of acute diarrhea globally.
- Previous surveillance in Spain had not identified Group C rotavirus in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of Group C rotavirus in young children with acute diarrhea in Madrid.
- To determine if Group C rotavirus is an underdiagnosed cause of pediatric diarrhea in Spain.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of fecal specimens from 822 children treated for acute diarrhea in Madrid.
- Targeted screening for Group C rotavirus using Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) on 147 specimens from children with no initial pathogen detection.
Main Results:
- Group C rotavirus was detected in 22 out of 147 (15%) initially negative specimens.
- This indicates a significant prevalence of Group C rotavirus in this cohort.
Conclusions:
- Group C rotavirus is an important and previously unrecognized cause of acute diarrhea in children in Spain.
- Further surveillance is warranted to understand the full impact of Group C rotavirus on pediatric gastroenteritis in the region.
Abstract:
Group C rotavirus causes sporadic cases and outbreaks of acute diarrhea in children and adults in many countries, but has never been detected among children in Spain. In a recently conducted surveillance study to screen fecal specimens for bacteria and viruses from a cohort of 822 young children who were treated for acute diarrhea in Madrid, no pathogens were detected in fecal specimens from 238 (29%) children. In this study, we examined 147 of those specimens for group C rotavirus by EIA and PCR and found 22 (15%) were positive. Our findings demonstrate that group C rotavirus is an important cause of childhood diarrhea in Spain.