Neonatal rotavirus infection and its relation to cord blood antibodies.
Among 274 neonates born at the maternity services of an urban hospital in India, 36.1% of the infants shed rotavirus in feces (as detected by ELISA) by 72 h of life. The excretion rate increased to 70.3% among the 120 infants who stayed for 5 days or more at the hospital. Diarrhoeal symptoms of mild and self-limited nature were observed only in 19.2% of the rotavirus excretors, the remaining being asymptomatic. Among the 98 infants who received supplement feeds, 49% acquired rotavirus infection as against 24.7% of the 150 exclusively breast fed infants (p less than 0.001). Viral RNA in the feces of all rota positive infants showed the same electropherotype, indicating infection from a common source. The mean percentage rotavirus inhibitory activity of cord sera in the infected and non-infected infants was 50.2 +/- 21.7 and 56.6 +/- 19.2 respectively (p greater than 0.05), suggesting that cord blood antibodies do not offer significant protection against neonatal rotavirus infection.
Jayashree
S
S
Department of Paediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
Bhan
M K
MK
Raj
P
P
Kumar
R
R
Svensson
L
L
Stintzing
G
G
Bhandari
N
N
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000382:microbiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000382:microbiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009725:Nurseries, Hospital; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral