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Asymptomatic rotavirus infections in day care centers
Insights
Asymptomatic rotavirus infections are common in children attending daycare centers. Rotavirus detection in children and adults highlights its prevalence beyond symptomatic cases.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Enteropathogenic agents, including rotaviruses, pose a significant health risk in childcare settings.
- Understanding the prevalence of rotavirus in both children and caregivers is crucial for implementing effective control measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of rotaviruses and other enteropathogenic agents in children and adults in daycare centers.
- To determine the frequency of asymptomatic rotavirus infections in a daycare population.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study conducted in daycare centers in Mexico City.
- Detection of enteropathogenic agents, with a focus on rotaviruses, in fecal samples from children and adults.
- Data collection occurred over two periods: July-December 1982 and July 1983-February 1984.
Main Results:
- Rotaviruses and other enteropathogens were detected in 42.1% of children and 37.7% of adults.
- Rotaviruses were the predominant agent, found in 29.9% of children without diarrhea and 28.3% of children with diarrhea.
- Asymptomatic rotavirus infections were identified in 20.5% of adults without diarrhea, and 20% of rotavirus-positive individuals were co-infected with other enteropathogens.
Conclusions:
- Asymptomatic rotavirus infections are frequent in children within daycare settings.
- Rotavirus infection presents with varied clinical manifestations, including asymptomatic carriage, not just diarrhea.
- The findings underscore the importance of considering asymptomatic carriers in the transmission dynamics of rotavirus in communities.
Abstract:
Rotaviruses and other enteropathogenic agents were detected in 288 (42.1%) of 684 children in day care centers of Instituto Politecnico Nacional in Mexico City. The same agents were also found in 114 (37.7%) of 302 adults directly involved in the care of the children. The study was carried out from July to December 1982 and from July 1983 to February 1984. Rotaviruses were the main enteropathogenic agents found and were detected in 169 (29.9%) of 564 children without diarrhea and in 34 (28.3%) of 120 children with diarrhea. These viruses were present in 62 (20.5%) of 302 adults without diarrhea. Of all rotavirus-positive individuals, 20% were also positive for other enteropathogens. All these observations indicate that asymptomatic rotavirus infections are not a rare event in children and that diarrhea caused by rotavirus infections is only one of the expressions of their presence.