title: Incidence of rotaviral gastroenteritis at a referral centre in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: The incidence of gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus was investigated at a referral hospital in Saudi Arabia over a period of 4.5 years. Of the 1,729 patients with suspected infection, 547 (31.6%) were positive for rotavirus infection. Most were inpatients (65) and 75.7% of the patients were under 12 years of age. Of the 414 positive patients under 12 years of age, 63% were inpatients. Similarly, 74.4% of the 25-year nad older group were inpatients. However, 40.3% of them were abnormal hosts because they either harbored neoplasms or had undergone bone marrow transplantation.
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, and King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA, and Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY, USA.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Al-Ahdal
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Qadri
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al-Dayel
authors.forename: G Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Cunha