Infección por rotavirus en niños asistidos en un hospital del Gran Buenos Aires / Rotavirus infection in children seen at a greater Buenos Aires hospital

RESUMO

In order to diagnose rotavirus infection, stool samples from 134 children assisted at the Hospital B. Houssay, Vte. López, Pcia. de Buenos Aires, Argentina, have been analysed employing the Rotazyme II Diagnostic Kit (Abbot Lab.). The percentage of positive samples reached 38.8 detecting 30 and 22 positive samples in 1994 (n(o) = 84) and 1995 (n(o) = 50), respectively. The frequency of the agent peaked during the cold season of the year. The age group between 6 and 23 months was the most affected, whereas the lowest percentage of viral identification was detected in children under 6 months. No differences were detected due to the gender of children. Viral RNA analysis pointed out 7 different electropherotypes, all of them showing long electropherotype patterns.