Astrovirus-associated diarrhea among Guatemalan ambulatory rural children

Abstract

Fecal excretion of astroviruses was monitored in 321 children, 0 to 3 years old, living in the rural highlands of Guatemala. During the longitudinal study, from February 1987 to February 1989, we examined 5,000 stool specimens, including 1,805 collected during 1,369 episodes of diarrhea, 830 collected during the convalescent week, and 216 and 244 collected 2 weeks and 1 week, respectively, before the onset of diarrhea. Routine specimens were taken once a month from every child who had been free from diarrhea for at least three consecutive weeks. Of the children, 124 (38.6%) excreted astroviruses during the study. In total, we identified 184 infections by astroviruses. Of the samples collected 2 weeks and 1 week before the initiation of symptoms, 0.9 and 4.9%o, respectively, were positive, while 7.3% of the diarrhea episodes were associated with

An astrovirus frameshift signal induces ribosomal frameshifting in vitro

“…Seven tissue cultureadapted human serotypes have been identified to date [18][19][20]. As epidemiologic information accumulates, astrovirus is emerging as a medically important pathogen in infants and children in developing countries [6,12]. Furthermore, astrovirus appears to be a significant pathogen in immunocompromised…”

Astroviruses, Enteric Adenoviruses, and Other Gastroenteritis Viruses

“…In addition, outbreaks have been reported among the elderly, probably due to waning immunity with increasing age. [38][39][40] Gastroenteritis associated with astrovirus, like rotavirus, occurs in both developed 19,23,24,[27][28][29][30][41][42][43] and developing countries, 32,[44][45][46][47][48] suggesting that improvements in water and sanitation are unlikely to decrease disease incidence. In temperate climates, astrovirus diarrhea cases peak in winter, 17,19,24,29,31 whereas the seasonality is less clear in tropical settings.…”

“…In temperate climates, astrovirus diarrhea cases peak in winter, 17,19,24,29,31 whereas the seasonality is less clear in tropical settings. 32,44,46 With improvements in detection methods, astrovirus represents an important cause of community-acquired and nosocomial illness and may be the most common viral cause of gastroenteritis in children after rotavirus and possibly Norwalk-like viruses. 19 In developing countries, astroviruses have generally been detected in less than 10% of young children treated for gastroenteritis in outpatient clinics or in hospitals, and the lower proportions reported from some studies (<1%-3%) may reflect insensitive detection methods rather than true prevalence.…”

“…Astroviruses cause a syndrome characterized by 2 to 5 days of watery diarrhea, often accompanied by vomiting and less often by high fever, abdominal pain, and other constitutional symptoms. 23,29,44,46 It is generally milder than rotavirus, less commonly resulting in dehydration, 19,23,26,39,44 and rarely associated with death. 45 Lactose intolerance 43,58 and poor weight gain 46 have been reported following astrovirus infection, and children with poor nutritional status may develop more severe disease 46 or chronic diarrhea.…”

“…9,24,26,31,36,37,40,47,53,58,62,63 Enzyme immunoassays have been developed, 11,42 which were more sensitive, easier, and less expensive to use. 23,25,30,36,42,44,46,64 Molecular diagnostic methods including reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and probes, as well as virus cultivation, are available in research laboratories. 65…”