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Virus diarrhoea associated with pale fatty faeces
Abstract:
Steatorrhoea was a significant feature in an outbreak of rotavirus gastroenteritis which affected adults and infants in hospital. Fat globules or fatty acid crystals were obvious by light microscopy (LM) in faeces from 14 of 25 patients examined. Ten of the fatty stools and two of the remainder were very pale. By electron microscopy (EM) a rotavirus was seen in 11 of the 14 fatty faeces and in only two of 11 specimens without visible fat. In a further study of pale or fatty faeces 20 such specimens sent for laboratory examination from patients not involved in the hospital outbreak were compared microbiologically with a similar number which were neither pale nor fatty. Viruses were found by EM in 11 (55%) of the pale or fatty stools; eight rotaviruses, two astroviruses and an uncultivable adenovirus were seen; one further patient had acute jaundice. In contrast, no viruses were seen by EM in the twenty specimens which were normally pigmented and without evident fat. Steatorrhoea was significantly associated with rotavirus infection of the alimentary tract which usually presented as a fatty enteritis. We conclude that rotaviruses certainly, and other viruses possibly, can impede both the digestion of fat and the pigmentation of the faeces. Inspection and LM of faeces are easy. In acute enteritis a fatty or pale stool is an indication for virological examination.
Insights
Rotavirus gastroenteritis can cause steatorrhoea (fatty stools) in adults and infants. Viral infections, particularly rotavirus, are linked to impaired fat digestion and pale stools in acute enteritis.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Virology
- Microscopy
Background:
- Steatorrhoea (fatty stools) and pale stools are common symptoms of gastroenteritis.
- Rotavirus is a frequent cause of gastroenteritis in infants and adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between steatorrhoea and rotavirus infection.
- To determine if viral infections impede fat digestion and fecal pigmentation.
Main Methods:
- Light microscopy (LM) and electron microscopy (EM) were used to examine faecal samples.
- Faecal samples from patients with steatorrhoea and pale stools were compared to those without these symptoms.
Main Results:
- Rotavirus was identified in 14 of 25 patients with steatorrhoea during an outbreak.
- Electron microscopy detected viruses in 55% of pale or fatty stools from a separate patient group, including rotaviruses, astroviruses, and adenovirus.
- No viruses were detected in normally pigmented, non-fatty stools.
Conclusions:
- Rotavirus infection is significantly associated with steatorrhoea and fatty enteritis.
- Viruses, especially rotaviruses, can impair fat digestion and faecal pigmentation.
- Fatty or pale stools in acute enteritis warrant virological examination.