title: Gastrointestinal viral infections in homosexual men who were symptomatic and seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus.
abstract: Gastrointestinal viruses, predominantly rotaviruses and adenoviruses, were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, electron microscopy, or cell culture in greater than 50% of two groups of homosexual men with symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, who did (54%) or did not (50%) have diarrhea. Lower detection rates were observed in HIV-seronegative (15%) and asymptomatic HIV-seropositive (16%) men. In the patients with diarrhea, 95% of the isolates of virus were found in the most immunosuppressed patients, those patients with AIDS-related complex or opportunistic infections associated with AIDS. High excretion rates of these viruses are probably associated with both anal-oral transmission and immunosuppression. These viruses apparently cause acute episodes or relapses of diarrhea in some patients but may be co-pathogens or noncontributory to chronic diarrhea in others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Grohman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harkness
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marriott
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tindall
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000386:AIDS-Related Complex / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009663:Norwalk virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification