An outbreak of diarrhoea associated with rotavirus serotype 1 in a day care nursery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

ABSTRACT

PIP: Acute gastroenteritis in children under 5 years of age is caused mainly by rotaviruses. Severe dehydration is commonly associated with this condition, which may lead to death if left untreated. Epidemiologic studies have attempted to describe the etiology of acute gastroenteritis caused by rotaviruses; however, much is still not understood. This paper describes a diarrhea outbreak in a children's day care center in Brazil that was caused by rotavirus serotype 1, subgroup II. 17 infants and 15 adults had their feces virologically analyzed. Rotavirus-positive samples were analyzed by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Bacteriological analysis was performed after culturing. All samples were negative for both parasites and pathogenic bacteria. Rotavirus was found in 10/17 (58.8%) of the infant and in 1/15 (6.7%) of the adult fecal samples tested. The major clinical symptoms observed in rotavirus-positive children were fever (70%), vomiting (60%), and diarrhea (100%).