The prevalence of norovirus, astrovirus and adenovirus infections among hospitalised children with acute gastroenteritis in Porto Velho, state of Rondônia, western Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Although viruses are well-established causes of acute gastroenteritis, few data on the circulation of these pathogens in Porto Velho, state of Rondônia, Brazil, are available. Thus, faecal samples from hospitalised diarrhoeic children, under six years of age, were collected and tested for the presence of norovirus (NoV), adenovirus (AdV) and astrovirus (AstV) from February 2010-February 2012. Specimens were screened by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and viruses were found in 10.7% (63/591) of the cases. NoV, AdV and AstV were detected in 7.8%, 2% and 0.8% of the samples, respectively. NoV infection was observed at all ages and was most prevalent in zero-18-month-old children (84.7%; p = 0.002). A higher incidence of NoV was detected from February-April 2010, when it was found in 52.2% of the cases. Co-infections involving these viruses, rotavirus and enteropathogenic bacteria were detected in 44.4% (28/63) of the children with viral diarrhoea. Nosocomial infections were demonstrated in 28.6% (18/63) of the cases in which viruses were detected. The present paper reports, for the first time, the circulation of NoV and AstV among the paediatric population of Porto Velho and it contributes to our understanding of the roles of these pathogens in gastrointestinal infections.

Detection and genotyping of enteric viruses in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in Belém, Brazil: Occurrence of adenovirus viremia by species F, types 40/41

“…Epidemiological studies involving HAstV and SaV pathogens remain scarce in Brazil, particularly in the northern region. The low positivity for HAstV (1.8%) found in our study, was a bit bigger than the rates previously reported in other parts of Brazil, such as Rondônia (0.8%) and in Brasília (0.5%) . However, the detection rates in the current study were lower than those previously reported in Belém (3.9%) and in São Luís (8.0%) .…”

High prevalence of enteric viruses associated with acute gastroenteritis in pediatric patients in a low‐income area in Vitória, Southeastern Brazil

“…In addition to the high prevalence of enteric viruses in this population, we highlight the considerable number of children (21.6%) that had a triple infection. Similar results were reported in studies conducted in Northern Brazil and Southern China . Whether a single pathogen is responsible for AGE or various pathogens act in synergy is still under debate .…”

Epidemiological and molecular investigation of norovirus and astrovirus infections in Rio Branco, Acre, Northern Brazil: A retrospective study

“…Other studies have demonstrated the presence of NoV infection in inpatients, outbreaks, and sporadic cases of diarrhea in children living in the Amazon Region. Among these we can highlight: NoV infections in Belém (inpatients: 36.5%), NoV in cruise ships (outbreak: 3%), outbreak of acute diarrheal disease in Paraíso do Tocantins (4%), infections among hospitalized children in Porto Velho (7.8%), detection of a recombinant GII.7/GII.20 strain in an African‐descendant community (19.7%), and NoV in high prevalence among sporadic cases in Manaus (35.2%) . NoV was previously reported in Rio Branco, Acre, in two situations; detection of genotypes GII.16 and GII.17 in a study involving Brazil states, as well as the first description of the GII.4 Sydney variant in Brazil …”