title: Commonly circulating human coronaviruses do not have a significant role in the etiology of gastrointestinal infections in hospitalized children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) OC43, 229E, NL63 and HKU1 are common causes of respiratory infections. Over the years, it has been proposed that HCoVs play a possible role in gastrointestinal infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the role of HCoVs in acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study was conducted at Tampere University Hospital over 2 years. Both stool and nasal swab samples were collected from 172 children with AGE, 545 with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) and 238 with symptoms of both. The samples were tested for HCoVs by RT-PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HCoVs were detected in 52 (5.4%) children: in 6.4% of those with AGE, 4.4% with ARTI and 7.1% with symptoms of both. HCoVs OC43, HKU1, 229E and NL63 were encountered in 13, 11, 13 and 15 cases, respectively. HCoVs were detected simultaneously in stool and nasal swab samples in 17 children, in nasal swabs alone in 33 children, and in the stools alone in two children. HCoVs were present in the stools of eight (4.7%) of the 172 children with AGE; in six of these cases, the nasal swab sample was also positive for the respective HCoV. Additionally, in six of the eight cases, the stool sample contained either rotavirus or calicivirus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCoVs can be detected in the stools of children with AGE, but usually together with well-known gastroenteritis viruses, and concomitantly in the respiratory tract. It appears that commonly circulating HCoVs do not have a significant role in the AGE of children admitted to hospital.
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Research Center, University of Tampere, Biokatu 10, FM 3, FI-33520 Tampere, Finland. Electronic address: minna.paloniemi@uta.fi.
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paloniemi
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Research Center, University of Tampere, Biokatu 10, FM 3, FI-33520 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Suvi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lappalainen
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Research Center, University of Tampere, Biokatu 10, FM 3, FI-33520 Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vesikari
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons
keywords: Acute gastroenteritis; Children; Human coronavirus; RT-PCR; Stool