title: Polymerase chain reaction in the detection of an 'outbreak' of asymptomatic viral infections in a community birth cohort in south India.
abstract: Asymptomatic enteric infections are important where sequelae or protection from subsequent illness is an outcome measure. The use of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to identify asymptomatic enteric infections in a birth cohort followed for rotaviral infections in a south Indian urban slum is reported. Of 1191 non-diarrhoeal samples from 371 children collected in May-June 2003, 22 (1.9%) were positive by ELISA. A total of 147 (40.6%) of 362 samples tested by VP6 RT-PCR were positive. In those samples that could be typed, a high diversity of G types including G1, G2, G4, G8, G9 and G10, and a high proportion (34.4%) of mixed infections were detected. Noroviruses were identified in 6/28 (21.4%) samples tested. The identification of infections undetectable by conventional techniques indicates the importance of the use of sensitive diagnostic techniques in research studies. Asymptomatically infected children may also act as a source of infection for other susceptible hosts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Gladstone
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iturriza-Gomara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramani
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Monica
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muliyil
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D011203:Poverty; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology; D012621:Seasons; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012923:Social Class; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral