title: Clinical surveillance for human astrovirus in Monastir region, Tunisia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Astroviruses (AstVs) are enteric viruses that can cause gastroenteritis in children. This study is part of monitoring the circulation of astroviruses in children hospitalized and/or outpatients for acute gastroenteritis at the primary care center of Ouerdanine or at the Pediatric Department of the University Hospital Fattouma-Bourguiba (Monastir, Tunisia). The aims of our study were to know the prevalence of human astrovirus in clinical samples of children, characterize the strains and evaluate the infectivity of isolated strains on cell culture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty stool samples were collected from children under five years old in the region of Monastir (Tunisia) from October 2010 to June 2011. All specimens were subjected to RT-PCR amplification followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study shows a low prevalence of astrovirus (4 %) in children. The two positive samples obtained were HAstV type 3. Samples that were RT-PCR positive were cultured in CaCO-2 cells and the presence of infectious viral particles was confirmed. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the different HAstV-3 strains isolated in Tunisia are grouped into two clusters. The first cluster includes strains obtained in 2004, which belong to lineage HAstV-3a, while strains isolated in 2010 belong to lineage HAstV-3c.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study is part of monitoring the circulation of astroviruses in children younger than five years old from Monastir region, Tunisia. The results show low prevalence (4 %). All genotyped samples belonged to lineage HAstV-3c, which could be presently emerging. Two different lineages have been isolated in Tunisia: HAstV-3a in 2004 and HAstV-3c in 2010.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Contagious Diseases and Biologically Active Substances, LR99ES27, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Avicenne Street 5000, Monastir, Tunisia. abirmonastiri@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Abir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monastiri
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Contagious Diseases and Biologically Active Substances, LR99ES27, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Avicenne Street 5000, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mahjoub
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aouni
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guix
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Contagious Diseases and Biologically Active Substances, LR99ES27, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Avicenne Street 5000, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Badereddine
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mechri
authors.affiliation: IRBIO and Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lopez-Roig
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Contagious Diseases and Biologically Active Substances, LR99ES27, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Avicenne Street 5000, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Nabil Ben Salem
authors.initials: NBS
authors.lastname: Abid
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department, University Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Neji
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gueddiche
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Department, University Hospital Fattouma Bourguiba, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Sabeur
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamami
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Contagious Diseases and Biologically Active Substances, LR99ES27, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Avicenne Street 5000, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Lamjed
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boughzala
authors.affiliation: IRBIO and Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Serra-Cobo
mesh_terms: D019350:Astroviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D001257:Mamastrovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology