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[Differential clinical characteristics among pediatric patients with gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus and
1Servicio de Microbiología Clínica, Hospital Universitario Son Dureta, Palma de Mallorca.
Insights
Rotavirus gastroenteritis primarily affects infants in winter, often requiring admission and presenting with vomiting. Adenovirus gastroenteritis occurs year-round, with longer symptom duration and leukocytosis, necessitating microbiologic diagnosis for definitive etiology.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Virology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
The differential clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric patients (< 14 years) with gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus or adenovirus were studied.
Material And Patients:
A retrospective study was performed in patients with viral gastroenteritis diagnosed from January 1990 to December 1992. The detection of viral particles was carried out by the agglutination system with latex particles sensitized with antibodies versus rotavirus and adenovirus. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the patients were collected reviewing the medical records and emergency charts.
Results:
Two hundred eighty-nine patients corresponding to 240 cases of infection by rotavirus (83.1%) and 48 (16.9%) by adenovirus, were analyzed. Diarrhea by rotavirus predominated in the winter months (59.7% of the cases from December to March). Nonetheless, those caused by adenovirus were seen throughout the year with a stable incidence being observed. Statistically significant differences were seen in both groups (p < 0.001) with rotavirus infection having a greater tendency to admission and greater incidence of vomiting, fever (> 39 degrees C) and underlying disease. The presence of leukocytosis was different in the adenovirus group as were the greater length of duration of diarrhea prior to attending the Emergency Department (5.2 days) and the total length of stay (11.2 days). No other associated enteropathogenic organisms were detected in 86.3% of the infections by rotavirus and in the 89.8% of those caused by adenovirus. In regard to age group distribution prevalence of diarrhea by rotavirus was observed during the first 3 months of life (76.6%) while adenovirus group it went up to 24 months of age with similar percentages.
Conclusions:
Diarrhea by rotavirus is mainly presented in the winter, with vomiting and its shorter in length and the symptoms less prolonged than diarrhea caused by adenovirus. Rotavirus diarrhea generally affect patients admitted with some underlying disease. Nonetheless, microbiologic diagnosis is required to establish the definitive etiology of both clinical processes.