STUDY ON ASYMPTOMATIC ROTAVIRUS INFECTION IN INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN

Zhao CA, Liu ZY, Cheng Q

Department of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing, China

 

Objective: To explore the prevalence and significance of asymptomatic rotavirus infection in infants and young children.

Methods: fecal specimens collected from 509 infants and young children without diarrhea were investigated by using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Meanwhile, 100 rotavirus positive fecal specimens, which were identified by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA), were analyzed in comparison.

Results: The overall prevalence of asymptomatic rotavirus infection in this study was 18.47%(94/509). Asymptomatic rotavirus infection rate in epidemic season was far higher than in non-epidemic season (P.001. The rate in the early stage of the epidemic season was higher than in late (P0.05. The rate had a significant difference between different epidemic seasons (P0.001.The major  electropherotypes between asymptomatic and symptomatic rotavirus infection in infants and young children had no significant difference (P0.05).

Conclusion: The rate and the major electropherotypes of asymptomatic rotavirus infection in infants and young children at the early stage of an epidemic season may predict the prevalence scale and the electropherotypes of symptomatic rotavirus infection of the same epidemic season.

Dey words: Rotavirus; Asmptomatic infection; Infants and young children

 

 
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