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Coproantibodies to rotavirus serotype 1 infection in German children
1Nestlé Research Centre, Nestec Limited, Vers-chez-les-Blanc, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Insights
Rotavirus (RV) infection in children shows no significant difference in antibody prevalence between patients and controls. Some patients shed RV despite neutralizing antibodies, while others recover without them.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Rotavirus (RV) is a common cause of gastroenteritis in infants and children.
- Understanding the role of local immune responses in RV infection is crucial for developing effective treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and significance of rotavirus-specific antibodies (IgA ELISA and neutralizing antibodies) in the stool of children hospitalized with RV gastroenteritis.
- To explore the correlation between antibody presence, viral shedding, and clinical symptom resolution.
Main Methods:
- Collection of serial stool samples from 27 hospitalized children with RV gastroenteritis and 80 control patients.
- Measurement of rotavirus antigen and rotavirus-specific antibodies (IgA ELISA and RV Wa-neutralizing antibodies) in stool samples.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in the prevalence of rotavirus-specific antibodies was found between RV patients and controls.
- Some patients continued to excrete RV antigen despite the presence of neutralizing stool activity.
- Clinical symptom resolution occurred in some patients even without detectable neutralizing activity in their stool samples.
Conclusions:
- Local antibody responses in the gut may not be the sole determinant of rotavirus gastroenteritis severity or duration.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the complex interplay between host immunity and rotavirus infection in children.
Abstract:
One hundred and ninety-eight serial stool samples were collected from 27 infants and children hospitalized in Bochum, Germany with gastroenteritis due to serotype 1 rotavirus (RV). RV antigen and RV-specific antibodies (Ab) (IgA ELISA and RV Wa-neutralizing Ab) were measured. The prevalence of RV-Ab positive stool samples in RV patients did not differ from that in stool samples from 80 control patients (40% and 42% for ELISA Ab and 11% and 6% for neutralizing Ab, respectively). None of the patients was breastfed in the week preceding stool collection. No significant increase in the prevalence of RV-Ab was observed between stool samples obtained during the early and late phase of hospitalization. We observed patients that continued to excrete RV antigen in the presence of neutralizing stool activities, and patients that showed cessation of RV stool excretion and resolution of clinical symptoms in the absence of RV-neutralizing activity in the stool samples.