Prevalence of diarrhea viruses in hospitalized children in Hong Kong in 2008.
A total of 209 stool samples were collected from pediatric patients admitted for acute gastroenteritis in a hospital in Hong Kong, during an 8-month period from January to August 2008, and were tested for the presence of rotavirus, norovirus, sapovirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus using a multiplex RT-PCR assay. The most common virus was rotavirus group A (59 of 209, 28%, mainly serotypes G1, G2, G3, and G9), followed by norovirus group II (48 of 209, 23%), adenovirus (7 of 209, 3%, serotypes 2, 3, and 41), and sapovirus (2 of 209, 1%). Interestingly, none of the specimens in this study were positive for astrovirus. One sample was found to have a dual infection with both norovirus group II and adenovirus. The results support the importance of norovirus as a causative agent of diarrhea in children, which may be underestimated by the current routine diagnostic testing.
Department of Microbiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Cheryl S Y
CS
Li
Paul K S
PK
Chan
Julian W
JW
Tang
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D029322:Norovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015995:Prevalence; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D029341:Sapovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*