title: Sentinel hospital-based surveillance of rotavirus diarrhea in iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rotavirus is the most common causes of severe, acute diarrhea during childhood and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. We established active hospital-based surveillance of childhood diarrhea to assess the scope of severe rotavirus disease in Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  From May 2006 through April 2007, prospective surveillance of rotavirus diarrhea among children aged <5 years was conducted in 5 sentinel hospitals in Iran. Stool samples were tested for rotavirus using a commercially available enzyme immunoassay, and rotavirus-positive samples were genotyped using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 2198 children admitted to the hospital for acute gastroenteritis, 1298 (59.1%) had stool samples test positive for rotavirus by enzyme immunoassay. Of the rotavirus episodes, 85% occurred during the first 2 years of life, with the peak prevalence of severe rotavirus disease occurring from September through January. Among the 110 rotavirus-positive samples that were genotyped, G4P[8] was the most commonly detected rotavirus genotype (30.9% of strains). Other commonly detected genotypes included P[8] with G nontypeable (21.8%), G4 with P nontypeable (13.6%), G1[P8] (10.9%), and G2[P4] (5.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in Iran, which indicates that safe and effective rotavirus vaccination in Iran is a public health priority.
authors.affiliation: Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eesteghamati
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gouya
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keshtkar
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Najafi
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zali
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanaei
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yaghini
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: El Mohamady
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Klena
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Teleb
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology