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Rotaviruses and acute gastroenteritis of infants and children
Insights
Rotavirus-like particles were detected in infant gastroenteritis cases and even in asymptomatic newborns. These rotaviruses show an antigenic relationship with those found in calves with scours.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatrics
- Veterinary Medicine
Background:
- Infantile gastroenteritis is a common winter illness.
- Rotavirus is a significant cause of severe diarrhea in young children.
- The presence and characteristics of rotavirus in neonates require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detect rotavirus-like particles in fecal specimens from infants and young children with gastroenteritis.
- To investigate the prevalence of rotavirus shedding in neonates, both symptomatic and asymptomatic.
- To explore potential antigenic relationships between human and animal rotaviruses.
Main Methods:
- Electron microscopy and ultracentrifugation were used to identify rotavirus-like particles.
- Fecal specimens were collected from hospitalized children and nursery-housed neonates.
- Antigenic analysis was performed to compare human and bovine rotaviruses.
Main Results:
- Rotavirus-like particles were identified in 84 of 269 fecal specimens from infants and young children.
- Intact viruses remained viable in fecal samples stored at -20°C for up to nine years.
- Rotavirus was detected in 5 of 5 neonates with diarrhea and 12 of 23 asymptomatic neonates (52%) in a nursery survey.
- Similar viruses were found in 6 of 16 fecal specimens from newborn calves with gastroenteritis.
- An antigenic relationship was demonstrated between human and bovine rotaviruses.
Conclusions:
- Rotavirus is prevalent in infants and young children during winter gastroenteritis outbreaks.
- Asymptomatic shedding of rotavirus occurs in neonates, indicating potential for transmission.
- Human and bovine rotaviruses share antigenic similarities, suggesting a common origin or cross-reactivity.
Abstract:
By means of electron microscopy and ultracentrifugation techniques rotavirus-like particles have been found in 84 of 269 specimens of faeces collected from infants and young children admitted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Camperdown, N.S.W. during the usual winter outbreak of infantile gastroenteritis. Morphologically intact viruses were also found in faecal specimens stored at -20 degrees C for up to nine years. Rotaviruses were found in specimens collected from five newborn infants with diarrhoea, and in a subsequent survey of the nursery when 23 neonates without diarrhoea were present, 12 (52 %) were found to be excreting virus. Morphologically similar viruses were found in six of 16 faecal specimens from newborn calves with gastroenteritis (scours), and an antigenic relationship between the rotaviruses of human and bovine origin has been demonstrated.