Rotavirus infection and rotavirus serum antibody in a cohort of children from Gaza observed from birth to the age of one year.
Rotaviruses were studied in a cohort of children from Gaza, during their first year of life. Surveillance was effected through visits to the local health clinic by parents and infants, and to a lesser extent, field workers' home visits. The observed rate of diarrhoea (all causes), and of rotavirus-associated diarrhoea was 1.25 and 0.1 episode per child-year, respectively. Of the 130 diarrhoea episodes in the cohort, only 6.9% were rotavirus-associated. Only nine (37.5%) of 24 children in whom rotavirus antigen was detected experienced a bout of diarrhoeal illness. However, 59.2% of cohort children had rotavirus serum antibodies by one year of age. The data indicate that rotavirus excretion in Gazan children tends to be asymptomatic during the first year of life.
Simhon
A
A
Clinical Microbiology Department, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
Abed
Y
Y
Schoub
B
B
Lasch
E E
EE
Morag
A
A
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007557:Israel; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral