Abstract
Viral gastroenteritis belongs to the major public health problems of infant and children worldwide. The largest proportion of morbidity and mortality occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa. This preliminary study aimed to assess the burden and genetic diversity of enteric viruses among children with diarrhea in Debre Tabore. A cross-sectional study was undertaken from December 2015 to April 2016. A total of thirty-eight children, who presented with diarrhea at Debre Tabore health centers were included. Fecal samples were collected and screened for enteric viruses by RT-PCR. Data were analyzed by using SPSS statistical software. Descriptive statistical summary techniques were used to display the study findings. Out of the thirty-eight children screened, 52.6% were positive for at least one enteric virus. Six (30.0%) of the children had mixed enteric virus infections. Human adenovirus (HAdV) 7 (18.4%) was predominant followed by noroviruses 5 (13.2%), enterovirus 5 (13.2%), rotavirus 4 (10.5%), human astrovirus (HAstV) 2 (5.3%), and human parechovirus (HPeV) 1(2.6%). Overall nineteen different types of enteric virus genotypes were identified. Diverse adenovirus within species A (HAdV-12,-31), B (HAdV-3), C (HAdV-2), and F (HAdV-4) were detected. Norovirus II (GII.4 and GII.6) and norovirus I (GI.2, GI.3, and GI.5) genotypes were found. Sapovirus genotypes within genogroup II (GII.1, GII.5, and GII.6) were identified. Wild-type rotavirus G9[P8] genotype was detected in one of the rotavirus positive samples. Non-polio enteroviruses within species A (coxsackie A virus (CAV) 5, CAV6, and CAV14) and C (enterovirus (EV-C) 99) were also identified. HPeV-6 genotype was identified in one of the samples. In two of the fecal samples, classic HAstV-2 was detected. Phylogenetic analysis of these enteric viruses revealed that they have close phylogenetic relatedness with previous genotypes reported from Ethiopia. Diverse enteric viruses were detected in fecal samples from under-five children with diarrhea. The detection of heterogeneous enteric viruses in this small data set highlights the need for extended multicenter studies to describe the burden and genetic diversity.