title: The prevalence of norovirus, astrovirus and adenovirus infections among hospitalised children with acute gastroenteritis in Porto Velho, state of Rondônia, western Brazilian Amazon.
abstract: Although viruses are well-established causes of acute gastroenteritis, few data on the circulation of these pathogens in Porto Velho, state of Rondônia, Brazil, are available. Thus, faecal samples from hospitalised diarrhoeic children, under six years of age, were collected and tested for the presence of norovirus (NoV), adenovirus (AdV) and astrovirus (AstV) from February 2010-February 2012. Specimens were screened by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and viruses were found in 10.7% (63/591) of the cases. NoV, AdV and AstV were detected in 7.8%, 2% and 0.8% of the samples, respectively. NoV infection was observed at all ages and was most prevalent in zero-18-month-old children (84.7%; p = 0.002). A higher incidence of NoV was detected from February-April 2010, when it was found in 52.2% of the cases. Co-infections involving these viruses, rotavirus and enteropathogenic bacteria were detected in 44.4% (28/63) of the children with viral diarrhoea. Nosocomial infections were demonstrated in 28.6% (18/63) of the cases in which viruses were detected. The present paper reports, for the first time, the circulation of NoV and AstV among the paediatric population of Porto Velho and it contributes to our understanding of the roles of these pathogens in gastrointestinal infections.
authors.affiliation: Insituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Porto Velho, RO, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Sandra Costa
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.affiliation: Insituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Porto Velho, RO, Brasil.
authors.forename: Grecy Kelli
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Estevam
authors.affiliation: Hospital Infantil Cosme e Damião, Secretaria de Estado da Saúde, Porto Velho, RO, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marilene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Penatti
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina Tropical, Porto Velho, RO, Brasil.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lafontaine
authors.affiliation: Instituto Evandro Chagas, Belém, PA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ian Carlos Gomes
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Instituto Evandro Chagas, Belém, PA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Paula Katharine Pontes
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Spada
authors.affiliation: Instituto Evandro Chagas, Belém, PA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Yvone Benchimol
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Gabbay
authors.affiliation: Insituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Porto Velho, RO, Brasil.
authors.forename: Najla Benevides
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Matos
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000258:Adenovirus Infections, Human / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000821:virology*; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D029322:Norovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D065947:Rainforest; D012621:Seasons