Acute gastroenteritis associated with rotavirus in adults.

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus (RV) is an important cause of acute infectious diarrhea in children all over the world. In adults, RV infection tends to be subclinical; however, outbreaks of gastroenteritis have been reported in emergency situations and in closed communities. The aim of this study was to characterize electrophoretically and antigenically the strains of rotavirus that caused acute gastroenteritis in adults and correlate them with the clinical manifestations. METHODS: A laboratory-based survey was carried out in which fecal samples from 44 patients over 18 years of age with acute gastroenteritis were studied. Polyacrylamide gels electrophoresis and immunoenzymatic assay with specific antibodies to group A rotavirus, serotypes G1-4, P1A, and P1B were carried out on all the samples. RESULTS: Twenty-eight (63.63%) of the 44 samples were positive for group A rotavirus. Of these, 19 (68%) had long pattern and nine (32%) short pattern. Of all positive samples, 15 (54%) were serotype G1, seven (25%) were G2, two (7%) were G4, and four (14%) had no monoclonal reaction; all were serotype P1A. Among the patients with RV infection, 13 (46.4%) required hospitalization and the remaining 15 (53.6%) showed moderate symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The strains that infected the adults were electrophoretically and antigenically the same as those that infected infants in Mérida, Yucatán over the last 10 years. No relationship between the severity of the symptoms and any specific serotype was found.

[Identification of rotavirus associated to serotype G2 in Yucatan, Mexico]. / Identificação de rotavirus associado ao sorotipo G2 em Yucatan, México.

In the present study, rotavirus G2 serotype was identified from fecal samples of children with gastroenteritis from the city of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Virological diagnosis of disease was performed using polycrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoenzymatic assay. Out of 149 analyzed samples 25 (16.7%) gave positive reaction to rotavirus groups A, of these 23 (92%) were identified as serotype g2, subgroup i and electrophoretic short pattern, whereas 2 (8%) were identified as subgroups II and electrophoretic long pattern, however, the G serotype was not possible to determine. Rotavirus G serotype has not been detected in more than 90% of samples since 1985. This indicates that the number of people susceptible to G2 serotype within the population has increased over recent years, which perhaps indicates that an important outbreak of acute infectious diarrhea caused by the rotavirus G2 serotype may be forthcoming.

[Frequency of serotype G rotavirus isolated from children with diarrhea in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico]. / Frecuencia de serotipos G de rotavirus aislados de niños con diarrea en Mérida, Yucatán, México.

During a period of six years (1985-1990), rotavirus G serotypes were investigated in 104 fecal samples isolates according to an immune enzyme assay using specific monoclonal antibodies against serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the VP7. The serotypes were established in 65 samples (62.5%) and could not be determined in 39 samples. In the 65 classified serotypes, 7 (6.7%) were found to belong to serotype 1, 23 (22.1%) to serotype 2, 12 (11.5%) to serotype 3, and 23 (22.1%) to serotype 4. The occurrence of the four serotypes during the six years was: serotype 3 was present in three of the six years; serotype 2 was detected in two epidemic outbreaks (1989 and 1990); serotype 3 appeared in the second year and was seen in the remainder of the study; and serotype 4 was present in the six years. We conclude that the four serotypes occur in our population and that future efforts to test the efficacy of any vaccine against this virus should evaluate a protective response against the four serotypes.

[Acute infantile diarrhea caused by rotavirus in a pediatric population of Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico]. / Diarrea infantil aguda por rotavirus en una población pediátrica de Mérida, Yucatán, México.

The frequency and clinical characteristics of rotavirus infections were studied in 150 infants hospitalized in the General Hospital "Agustin O'Horán" SSA in Mérida, Yucatán, México, because of acute gastroenteritis during 1986. Rotavirus was detected in 32% of all subjects tested. Rotavirus was detected in all months studied. An age-related incidence peak was observed between 7 and 24 months and the infection proved to prevail within the rural area. The clinical pictures were analyzed. We consider it necessary to carry out many more studies in our country in order to obtain reliable knowledge of this problem.