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Coronaviruslike particles in human gastrointestinal disease. Epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory observations
Insights
New virus particles, coronaviruslike particles (CVLPs), were found in infant diarrhea. These CVLPs appear to cause gastrointestinal illness and are antigenically distinct from known coronaviruses.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Microscopy
Background:
- Diarrheal diseases are a significant cause of morbidity in infants and children.
- Enteric viruses are common causes of gastroenteritis, but some etiologies remain unidentified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and characteristics of potential novel viral agents in pediatric diarrhea.
- To compare the clinical and epidemiological features of CVLP-associated diarrhea with rotavirus and other enteric virus infections.
Main Methods:
- Direct electron microscopy (EM) of stool specimens from children with diarrhea.
- Clinical and epidemiological data collection and analysis.
- Antigenic characterization using immunoelectron microscopy and radial immunodiffusion.
Main Results:
- Coronaviruslike particles (CVLPs) were detected in 49 of 126 children with diarrhea.
- CVLP shedding showed similar seasonal and age distributions to rotavirus, primarily in infants under one year.
- Symptoms and illness duration were comparable to rotavirus infections; CVLPs were antigenically unrelated to known human and animal coronaviruses.
Conclusions:
- CVLPs may be a significant cause of acute gastrointestinal illness in infants.
- These findings suggest the existence of a novel coronavirus antigenically distinct from currently known strains.
Abstract:
Coronaviruslike particles (CVLPs) were visualized by direct electron microscopy (EM) of diarrheal stools in 49 of 126 infants and children between 1 month and 12 years of age during a three-year observation period. The clinical and epidemiologic features of these patients were analyzed and compared with patients with diarrhea who were shedding rotaviruses, or whose stools were negative for enteric viruses by EM. Seasonal and age distributions for CVLP shedding were similar to those for rotaviruses (in most cases less than 1 year of age; peak months were September through January), as were the symptoms and median durations of illness. Prospective studies of three subsequent patients suggest that the duration of shedding in acute illness is five to at least 25 days. Multiple attempts to cultivate the CVLPs were unsuccessful. In addition, partial purification of CVLPs from stool specimens was performed, and immunologic analysis by immunoelectron microscopy and radial immunodiffusion showed no antigenic relatedness to prototype human (OC43 and 229E) or animal (bovine and canine) coronaviruses. These findings suggest that CVLPs may be an important cause of acute gastrointestinal illness in infancy, and may represent a virus antigenically unrelated to known human and animal coronaviruses.