The Difference between Clinical Manifestations and Feeding or Delivery Methods in Healthy Full-term Neonates and Those with Nosocomial Rotaviral Infection

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Rotavirus is the main cause of infantile diarrheal disease worldwide. The purpose of this study is to assess the difference between clinical manifestations and feeding or delivery methods in healthy full-term neonates and those with nosocomially-acquired rotaviral infection. METHODS: The study was conducted on 348 babies who were delivered in Dongguk University Kyongju Hospital from Jan 1 to June 30 in 2001. Stool specimens were collected from clinically symptomatic neonates. We studied the rate of positive stool rotazyme ELISA tests and positive symptoms. We compared the frequency of clinical manifestations according to the feeding methods [breast feeding(BF) or formula feeding(FF)] and the delivery methods[normal vaginal delivery(NVD) or Cesarean section(C/sec)]. RESULTS: Rotavirus was detected in 152 of 348 babies. The rate of positive rotazyme ELISA test was 43.7% in healthy full-term symptomatic neonates. The most common symptom of rotaviral enteritis was mild fever; the others were watery diarrhea, abdominal distension, vomiting, delayed weight gain, irritability, poor oral intake and dehydration. Compared with FF neonates, BF neonates have lower frequency of symptoms, especially watery diarrhea, delayed weight gain and poor oral intake. The symptomatic frequency was higher in FF and NVD neonates than BF and C/sec. CONCLUSION: The symptoms of rotaviral enteritis were less frequent in BF or C/sec delivered neonates. BF appeared to alleviate the rotaviral enteritis but further studies are needed. The cause of the lower frequency of symptoms in C/sec delivered neonates was unknown.