Molecular detection and prevalence of Rotavirus with acute gastroenteritis among the children of rural and urban areas

Rotavirus is the main infective agent of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in children under the age of five years and causing significant morbidity as well as mortality throughout the world. The study was carried out to detect the prevalence rate, genotypes strain and risk factors of Rotavirus among the children of rural and urban areas of district Bannu Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. A total of 180 stool samples were collected from children under the age of 5 years from two major hospitals of Bannu from January to December (2015). The samples were analyzed by Reverse-transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of Rotavirus, positive samples were further processed for genotyping (G and P type) through specific PCR. Of the total, 41 (23%) samples were positive for Rotavirus. The most prevalent G genotypes found were: G3, G8, G9 (each 29%), followed by G10 (15%), and G11 (10%). Whereas the prevalent P genotypes were: P-8 (25%), P-4 and P-10 (each 20%), P-9 (15%), followed by P-6 and P-11 (each 10%). Moreover, Rotavirus infection was more prevalent in summer (23.73%) and winter (22.7%) than spring (20%) and autumn (21.4%). Rotavirus infection exhibited high frequency in June (14%), October (8%) and November (6%). It is concluded that Rotavirus is more prevalent in children and various genotypes (G and P) of Rotavirus are present in the study area. Lack of studies, awareness and rarer testing of Rotavirus are the principal reasons of virus prevalence in district Bannu, Pakistan.

The Rise in Norovirus-Related Acute Gastroenteritis During the Fight Against the COVID-19 Pandemic in Southern China

Background: There has been a significant decline in the morbidity of almost all infectious diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, while the incidence of norovirus-related acute gastroenteritis declined in Guangzhou, China during the initial period of the pandemic, incidence increased significantly once the new school year began in September 2020.Methods: Norovirus-related acute gastroenteritis clusters and outbreaks were assessed in Guangzhou from 2015 to 2020. Medians and interquartile ranges were compared between groups using the Mann–Whitney U-test, and attack rates were calculated.Results: While 78,579 cases of infectious diarrhea were reported from 2015 to 2019, with an average of 15,716 cases per year, only 12,065 cases of infectious diarrhea were reported in 2020. The numbers of sporadic cases and outbreaks reported from January to August 2020 were lower than the average numbers reported during the same time period each year from 2015 to 2019 but began to increase in September 2020. The number of cases in each reported cluster ranged from 10 to 70 in 2020, with a total of 1,280 cases and an average attack rate of 5.85%. The median number of reported cases, the cumulative number of cases, and the attack rate were higher than the average number reported each year from 2015 to 2019. The intervention time in 2020 was also higher than the average intervention time reported during 2015–2019. The main norovirus genotypes circulating in Guangzhou during 2015–2020 included genogroup 2 type 2 (GII.2) (n = 79, 26.69%), GII.17 (n = 36, 12.16%), GII.3 (n = 27, 9.12%), GII.6 (n = 8, 2.7%), GII.4 Sydney_2012 (n = 7, 2.36%), and GII.4 (n = 6, 2.03%).Conclusions: Our findings illustrate the importance of maintaining epidemiological surveillance for viral gastroenteritis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local disease prevention and control institutions need to devote sufficient human resources to control norovirus clusters.

Investigation of Children with Acute Gastroenteritis by Multiplex PCR Method in Central Part of Turkey

Objective Gastroenteritis is a disease that affects all age groups, especially children, and causes high mortality and morbidity in all countries. The most common agents of acute gastroenteritis are viral agents. As a result, millions of diarrhea attacks and hospital admissions occur worldwide every year due to viral gastroenteritis. This study uses the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to investigate the viruses that are the causative agents of viral gastroenteritis in the pediatric patient group in Konya, Turkey. Methods Stool samples of 94 patients aged 0 to 18 years sent from Emergency clinics and Pediatric outpatient clinics, Meram Medical Faculty Hospital Pediatric clinics, Konya Necmettin Erbakan University to Medical Microbiology Laboratory with a diagnosis of gastroenteritis between February and December 2018 were included in the study. Stool samples were stored at –80°C until the time of the analysis. Deoxyribonucleic acid/ribonucleic acid isolation from stool samples was performed with EZ1 Virus Mini Kit v2.0 (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) using an automatic extraction system (BioRobot EZ1 system, Qiagen). The presence of astrovirus, rotavirus, adenovirus, norovirus (GI, GII), and sapovirus agents was investigated by the multiplex PCR method (Fast Track Diagnostics, Luxembourg) viral gastroenteritis kit. Results Viral gastroenteritis agents were detected in 56.3% of the patients. One viral agent was detected in 47 (50%) of these patients and at least two viral agents in 6 (6.3%) of them. Norovirus GII was detected in 20 (21.2%) of the children included in the study, adenovirus in 13 (13.8%), rotavirus in 11 (12.8%), astrovirus in 11 (11.7%), sapovirus in 4 (4.2%), and norovirus GI in 1 (1.06%). When the distribution of viral agents was examined by months, the most number of agents were observed (21; 35%) in May, followed by April and June (12; 20%). Considering the distribution of the prevalence of the agents by age, it was seen to be mainly between 0 and 12 months (42%). Conclusion Considering that the most common viral agent in our region is norovirus GII, it will be useful to investigate the norovirus that is not routinely examined in children who are admitted to clinics with the complaint of gastroenteritis. It will be appropriate to examine routinely adenovirus, rotavirus, and norovirus in the laboratory, especially in children with diarrhea and vomiting in the winter and spring months.

Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Shigella spp. Isolated from Patients Suspected of Acute Gastroenteritis

Shigellosis, an intestinal infection caused by Shigella species, is manifested by bloody diarrhea. Due to the surge in multidrug-resistant (MDR) Shigella species, the control of shigellosis has been a big challenge. This study aims to determine the prevalence and assess the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Shigella species. During our study period of five months from April 2014 to August 2014 at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, Kathmandu, a total of 653 stool samples were collected from the patients suspected of acute gastroenteritis. The standard microbiological procedure was followed for the isolation and identification of Shigella species. Assessment of antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the Shigella species was done by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method following CLSI guidelines. The study found 25(3.82%) cases were Shigella positive. Among them, 18(72%) were S. flexneri, 6(24%) were S. dysenteriae, and 1(4%) was S. sonnei. The patients in the age group 16-45 years were highly susceptible to infection as the higher proportion 16(64%) of Shigella species were isolated from this age group (p> 0.05). Shigella species were found to be highly susceptible to Cefotaxime (100%), a third-generation cephalosporin. Nalidixic acid, on the other hand, was the least effective antibiotic as 20(80%) of the Shigella isolates were resistant, followed by Ampicillin 18(72%), Cotrimoxazole 13(52%), and Ciprofloxacin 9(36%). A higher proportion of [10(40%)] of our study isolates were MDR. Our results show that Nalidixic acid, Ampicillin, Cotrimoxazole, Ciprofloxacin, and Ofloxacin cannot be used as empirical therapy for the treatment of Shigella infection as Shigella species were highly resistant to these antibiotics. So, for the MDR Shigella infection, we suggest third-generation cephalosporin as an option.

Contamination of Human Bocavirus Genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4 in Environmental Waters in Thailand

Recently, we reported the detection of HBoV genotypes 1, 2, and 3 in pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis, and the detection of HBoV1 and 2 in oysters in Thailand. In this study, we report the detection of HBoV1, 2, 3, and 4 contamination in environmental waters within the same geographic area.

Emergence of Multiple Novel Inter-Genotype Recombinant Strains of Human Astroviruses Detected in Pediatric Patients With Acute Gastroenteritis in Thailand

Objective: Human astrovirus (HAstV) is recognized as an important cause of acute gastroenteritis in children. Recombination between different genotypes of HAstV can contribute to diversity and evolution of the virus. This study aimed to investigate the emergence of HAstV recombinant strains in pediatric patients hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand, spanning 2011–2020.Methods: A total of 92 archival HAstV strains collected from pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis during 2011–2020 were further characterized to identify the recombinant strains. The ORF1b and ORF2 junction region of each strain was amplified and sequenced. The obtained sequences were analyzed in comparison with the reference sequences retrieved from GenBank database. Their genotypes were assigned using MEGA X software based on the partial ORF1b (RdRp) and ORF2 (capsid) regions, and the recombination breakpoints of recombinant strains were determined by SimPlot and RDP4 analyses.Results: Five inter-genotype recombinant strains with three recombination patterns of ORF1b/ORF2 of classic HAstV, HAstV8/HAstV1, HAstV8/HAstV3, and HAstV3/HAstV2, were detected. The recombination breakpoints of all strains were located at the 3′-end region of ORF1b close to the ORF1b/ORF2 junction.Conclusion: Several novel inter-genotype recombinant strains of classic HAstV genotypes were detected in pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand, during the period of 10 years from 2011 to 2020.

Electrolyte Abnormalities in Children Presenting with Acute Gastroenteritis

Objective: To find out the frequency of electrolyte abnormalities among children with acute gastroenteritis. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: The Department of Pediatrics, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Hospital, Rawlakot from July 2020 to December 2020. Material and Methods: A total of 159 children of both genders aged between 1 month to 5 years and presenting with acute gastroenteritis at outpatient or emergency department were included. At the time of enrolment, clinical and physical examinations were performed while medical history and presenting complaints were recorded. Frequency of electrolyte abnormalities like hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hypokalemia and hyperkalemia were noted on a predesigned proforma. Results: In a total of 159 children, 86 (54.1%) were male. Mean age was noted to be 2.1+1.7 years while 69 (43.4%) children were aged between 1 to 3 years. Majority of the children, 104 (65.4%) belonged to rural areas of residence. Abdominal pain, vomiting and lethargy were the other most frequently observed presenting complaints noted among 91(57.2%), 60 (37.7%) and 51 (32.1%) children respectively. Among all children, mean serum sodium was noted to be 140+11.3 meq/L. Hyponatremia was found to be among 45 (28.3%) children while hypernatremia was present in 28 (17.6%) children with AGE. Mean serum potassium was calculated to be 4.2+3.7 mmol/L. Hypokalemia was found to be present among 28 (17.6%) children while hyperkalemia was noted to be among 10 (6.3%) children. Conclusion: Frequency of electrolyte abnormalities was found to be high among children with acute gastroenteritis. Timely identification and treatment of children presenting with acute gastroenteritis coupled with electrolyte abnormalities needs to be done to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases. Keywords: Acute gastroenteritis, hypokalemia, hyperkalemia, hypernatremia, hyponatremia