Astrovirus diarrhea in Egyptian children.
This study describes the epidemiology of astrovirus diarrhea among a population-based cohort of 397 children aged <3 years residing in rural Egypt from 1995 to 1998. The age-specific incidence rates of astrovirus diarrheal episodes per person-year were 0.38 for infants aged <6 months, 0.40 for those aged 6-11 months, 0.16 for those aged 12-23 months, and 0.05 for those aged 24-35 months. The overall incidence rate of astrovirus diarrhea was the same as that of rotavirus diarrhea, 0.19 episodes per person-year. Astrovirus infection was pathogenic and associated with severe dehydration in 17% of the cases. The most frequent serotype was HAstV-1, and, in order of decreasing frequency, HAstV-5, HAstV-8 and HAstV-3, HAstV-6, HAstV-4, and HAstV-2. In determining whether astrovirus diarrhea was associated with a reduced incidence of subsequent disease, there was evidence to suggest HAstV-1 homotypic immunity but not heterotypic immunity. Because we observed 38% of the incidence of astrovirus diarrhea to occur in infants aged <6 months, a candidate astrovirus vaccine would have to confer immunity very early in life.
Naficy
A B
AB
Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Rockville, MD 20852, USA. naficy@nih.gov
Rao
M R
MR
Holmes
J L
JL
Abu-Elyazeed
R
R
Savarino
S J
SJ
Wierzba
T F
TF
Frenck
R W
RW
Monroe
S S
SS
Glass
R I
RI
Clemens
J D
JD
D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000145:classification; D012703:Serotyping