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Infantile gastroenteritis associated with excretion of pestivirus antigens
R Yolken1, E Dubovi, F Leister
1Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
Insights
Pestivirus antigens were detected in the faeces of young children with unexplained gastroenteritis. This finding suggests Pestivirus may be a cause of diarrhoeal illness in children, often with respiratory symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Gastroenteritis in young children poses a significant public health challenge.
- The etiology of many gastroenteritis cases remains unidentified, despite testing for common enteric pathogens.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential role of Pestivirus in paediatric gastroenteritis of unknown origin.
- To compare the clinical presentation of Pestivirus-associated gastroenteritis with other diarrhoeal illnesses.
Main Methods:
- Faecal samples from children under 2 years old with gastroenteritis were tested for Pestivirus antigens using a monoclonal-antibody-based immunoassay.
- Control groups included children without diarrhoea and those infected with rotavirus.
Main Results:
- Pestivirus antigens were detected in 30 out of 128 episodes of unexplained gastroenteritis.
- Pestivirus infection was infrequent in children without diarrhoea (1/28) and rotavirus-infected children (1/31).
- Gastroenteritis associated with Pestivirus excretion showed a higher prevalence of respiratory inflammation signs.
Conclusions:
- Pestivirus is a potential causative agent of gastroenteritis in young children, particularly when other enteric pathogens are not identified.
- Pestivirus-associated gastroenteritis may present with symptoms overlapping with respiratory infections.
Abstract:
Faeces from children under 2 years old who had gastroenteritis that could not be attributed to recognised enteric pathogens were examined with a monoclonal-antibody-based immunoassay for Pestivirus antigens. Such antigens were detected in 30 of 128 episodes of gastroenteritis. Children without diarrhoeal disease and children infected with rotaviruses had little evidence of Pestivirus infection (faeces positive in 1 of 28 and 1 of 31, respectively). The diarrhoeal disease in children excreting Pestivirus antigens resembled that in other children except that it was more commonly associated with signs and symptoms of respiratory inflammation.