Prevalence and genetic diversity of human astroviruses in Mexican children with symptomatic and asymptomatic infections.
The prevalence and type diversity of human astroviruses (HAstV) in children with symptomatic and asymptomatic infections were determined in five localities of Mexico. HAstV were detected in 4.6 (24 of 522) and 2.6% (11 of 428) of children with and without diarrhea, respectively. Genotyping of the detected strains showed that at least seven (types 1 to 4 and 6 to 8) of the eight known HAstV types circulated in Mexico between October 1994 and March 1995. HAstV types 1 and 3 were the most prevalent in children with diarrhea, although they were not found in all localities studied. HAstV type 8 was found in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Mérida; in the last it was as prevalent (40%) as type 1 viruses, indicating that this astrovirus type is more common than previously recognized. A correlation between the HAstV infecting type and the presence or absence of diarrheic symptoms was not observed. Enteric adenoviruses were also studied, and they were found to be present in 2.3 (12 of 522) and 1.4% (6 of 428) of symptomatic and asymptomatic children, respectively.
Méndez-Toss
Martha
M
Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
Griffin
Dixie D
DD
Calva
Juan
J
Contreras
Juan F
JF
Puerto
Fernando I
FI
Mota
Felipe
F
Guiscafré
Héctor
H
Cedillo
Roberto
R
Muñoz
Onofre
O
Herrera
Ismael
I
López
Susana
S
Arias
Carlos F
CF
D000257:Adenoviridae Infections / Q000821:virology; D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000821:virology