title: Increase in the detection rate of viral and parasitic enteric pathogens among Egyptian children with acute diarrhea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute diarrhea continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children from developing countries. Determination of the frequency of diarrhea in an area, along with the proportion of disease caused by specific enteric agents of different origins, is considered the first step in controlling diarrheal diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2005 to 2007, a hospital-based surveillance was conducted in two locations in Egypt to determine the causes of acute diarrhea in children younger than 5-years seeking treatment. Five additional enteric viral and parasitic pathogens were tested using commercially-available enzyme immunoassays (EIA) to re-evaluate the prevalence of diarrheal pathogens in undiagnosed cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adenovirus, astrovirus, norovirus and G. lamblia were detected as the sole pathogen in 2% (n=34), 3% (n=56), 9% (n=191) and 7% (n=146) of the cases, respectively. E. histolytica was never detected as the sole pathogen. The percentage of diarrheal cases with a known cause increased significantly, from 48% (n=1,006) to 74% (n=1,568) (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, the incorporation of immunoassays yielded useful data in identifying pathogens in previously pathogen-negative diarrhea cases.
authors.affiliation: US Naval Medical Research Unit-No. 3, Cairo, Egypt. hanan.elmohammady.eg@med.navy.mil
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: El-Mohammady
authors.forename: Adel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: Hind I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Shaheen
authors.forename: Nagwa H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Henien
authors.forename: Mohamed S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Motawea
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Raafat
authors.forename: Manal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moustafa
authors.forename: Ibrahim A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Adib-Messih
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sebeny
authors.forename: Sylvia Y N
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Klena
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000257:Adenoviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000821:virology*; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D016829:Giardia lamblia / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007223:Infant; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D029322:Norovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015995:Prevalence; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012621:Seasons; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic