Incidence, seasonality and serotypes of rotavirus in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country), Spain. A 14-year study.
Over a 14-year period (1984-97) the presence of rotavirus in stool samples from children under 15 years with acute gastroenteritis was studied by enzymoimmunoanalysis. Serotyping (G1-G4) was performed using monoclonal antibodies. A total of 17,348 children under 15 were investigated. Rotavirus was detected in 3637 (21.0%) specimens, 74.6% of which were from children younger than 2 years old. G1 and G4 were the most frequent serotypes. In 1991-7, the minimum incidence of rotavirus gastroenteritis in children under 4 years of age was 21.7 cases/1000 children/year. By the age of 5 years, at least 1 out of 11.3 children and probably 1 out of every 5-6 children in this area had experienced an episode of rotavirus gastroenteritis that required medical care. In the 1984-90 period a clear seasonality was not observed but in the second period of the study (1991-7), seasonality was marked, with peak activity in winter.
Cilla
G
G
Servicio de Microbiología, Complejo Hospitalario Donostia, San Sebastián, Spain.
Pérez-Trallero
E
E
López-Lopategui
M C
MC
Gilsetas
A
A
Gomáriz
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012621:Seasons; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal