title: Aetiology of childhood viral gastroenteritis in Lucknow, north India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Due to limited availability of data on viral aetiology of acute gastroenteritis in north India, the present study was planned to detect rotavirus, norovirus, sapovirus and astrovirus in stool samples of both in hospitalized and non-hospitalized children less than five years of age presenting with acute gastroenteritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 278 stool samples from equal number of children were tested for rotavirus antigen using ELISA and for norovirus, sapovirus and astroviruses by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 169 samples from hospitalized patients, rotavirus, norovirus, sapovirus and astrovirus were detected in 19.5, 2.3, 3.5 and 2.9 per cent samples, respectively. Of the 109 samples collected from the non-hospitalized patients, frequency of rotavirus and sapovirus detection was 9.1 and 1.8 per cent, respectively while norovirus and astrovirus were not detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rotavirus was the most frequent cause of viral gastroenteritis in both hospitalized and non-hospitalized children. Maximum positivity of the viruses was seen in children less than two years of age.
authors.forename: Shilpi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India.
authors.forename: Amita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Shilpi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: Vishwajeet
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Mastan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D029322:Norovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D029341:Sapovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral