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Recent advances in the aetiology of viral gastroenteritis
Insights
Human reovirus-like (HRVL) virus, now known as rotavirus, is a significant cause of infant diarrhea. This study found HRVL infections occurred seasonally and spread from infected children to 35% of their parents.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Human reovirus-like (HRVL) virus, also known as rotavirus, is a major cause of infant and young child diarrhea globally.
- Previous research indicated HRVL's significance, but transmission routes and detection methods required further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and seasonality of HRVL infections in hospitalized children.
- To compare diagnostic efficiencies of electron microscopy and serological techniques for HRVL detection.
- To explore potential transmission pathways of HRVL among patient contacts.
Main Methods:
- Electron microscopy was used to detect virus shedding in stool samples.
- Serological (complement-fixation) tests were employed for detecting HRVL infection.
- Contact tracing was conducted to study transmission patterns.
Main Results:
- Half of the pediatric patients studied showed evidence of HRVL infection.
- HRVL infections exhibited a distinct seasonal pattern, occurring during cooler months.
- Electron microscopy and serological methods demonstrated comparable efficiency in detecting HRVL.
- 35% of parents of infected children also showed evidence of HRVL infection.
Conclusions:
- HRVL (rotavirus) is a significant pathogen causing infantile diarrhea with seasonal prevalence.
- Electron microscopy is an effective diagnostic tool for HRVL detection.
- Close contacts, such as parents, are susceptible to HRVL infection, suggesting person-to-person transmission.
Abstract:
Studies with the human reovirus-like (HRVL) agnet, also designated rotavirus and duovirus, have revealed that it is a major aetiological agent of diarrhoea of infants and young children in many parts of the world. In a study of patients admitted with a diarrhoeal illness to the Children's Hospital of the District of Columbia in the United States from January 1974 to June 1975, it was found that half of the patients studied by both virus shedding (by electron microscopy) and serological (complement-fixation) techniques demonstrated evidence of infection with the HRVL agent. The temporal distribution of infections with the HRVL agent followed a seasonal pattern with this agent being shed exclusively by patients admitted during the cooler months of the year. Electron microscopic examination of stools was as efficient as serological methods for detecting infection with the HRVL agent. We also initiated studies to determine the possible mode of transmission of the HRVL agent by studying contacts of hospitalized patients. We found that 35% parents of patients with HRVL infections were also infected with the HRVL agent. Serological studies revealed that the HRVL agent was antigenically related to the Nebraska Calf Diarrhoea Virus, the epizootic diarrhoea of infant mice virus, the SA-11 virus, and the "O" agent.