Selected enteropathogens and clinical course in children hospitalized with severe acute gastroenteritis in Barbados

The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of selected bacterial and viral enteropathogens in children hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis and the secondary aim was to characterize the clinical course and the outcome.

A retrospective audit of children (<15 years) admitted with acute gastroenteritis during January 2008 to October 2010. Stool samples were analyzed for bacterial pathogens and for the Rotavirus. Demographics, clinical presentations, hospital course and outcome were extracted from the admission records.

There were 571 children hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis, which accounted for 11% of all medical hospitalization in children. Overall, 42.9% of these children were ≤12 months in age. Stool test result was documented in 46.6% of children hospitalized with gastroenteritis and an enteropathogen was isolated in 36.8% of cases with documented stool test result. Non-typhoidal Salmonella species was the most commonly isolated enteropathogen accounting for 21.1% of all the documented cases. Rotavirus was identified as an etiological agent in 9.0%. Of the 56 children who had non-typhoidal salmonella gastroenteritis, 54(96.4%) were younger than 5 years. The median duration of hospitalization was 2 days (Range 1 day to 9 days). There were no deaths.

Non-typhoidal salmonella was the most common enteropathogen isolated and this was followed by the Rotavirus.