Volume 9 Number 2 August 1995
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Rotavirus infection in under-five children in Yekatit 12 hospitalAlmaz Abebe1, Solomon Abebe1, Miruts Giday1 and Belachew Taffesse2. Abstract: A prospective study was conducted to determine the prevalence of rotavirus infection and its seasonal pattern. A total of 358 infants and young children who had acute diarrhoea were studied at Yekatit 12 hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, between March 1992 and 1993. The virus was detected in 65( 18%) specimens collected from patients with acute diarrhoea teste.d by ELISA. The rate of rotavirus detection was higher among infants and children less than two years of age (21 %) than among older ones. The virus had two peaks, during the months of June and July(27%), when it is wet and warm with high relative humidity, and in November and December(37%) when the weather is dry and cool with low relative humidity. Our study has shown that, rotavirus could be detected throughout the year with seasonal trend and climatological relationship. However, studies extending over a longer period of time are necessary to establish the influence of seasonal and climatological factors on rotavirus infection in our setting.[Ethiop. J. Health Dev.1995;9 (1):71-75] IntroductionRotavirus is recognized as a major cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis especially in infants and young children, and has also been implicated as an etiological agent of diarrhoea in older children( 1,2). The virus is believed to be a major etiological agent of acute enteritis in infants and young children with marked peak during the winter season in temperate zones and with seasonal fluctuation in the tropics(3-5). Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, is found in a tropical region with more than 2000m above sea level. The dry and warm season is from October to February while there are small rains from March to May followed by heavy rains from June to September . The significant role of rotavirus in acute childhood diarrhoea cases has been reported in Addis Ababa(5,6,7) with different findings in the seasonal pattern of the virus(5,7). The present study was conducted to determine the occurrence of rotavirus in acute childhood diarrhoea and its seasonal variation over a period of 13 months at Yekatit 12 hospital pacdiatrics clinic, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. MethodsSubjects: The study subjects were a total of 358 children (0-60 months of age) with acute diarrhoea of less than 10 days duration and visiting the out-patients clinic of the _______________________ 1From the National Research Institute of Health, Addis Ababa; and 2yekatit 12 Hospital, Addis Ababa.
Table 1: Number and percentage of rotavirus infection by age and sex among acute diarrhoeal cases at Yekatit 12 hospital.
Department of Paediatrics of Yekatit 12 hospital. The duration of the study was March 1992 to March 1993. Acute diarrhoea in this study was defined as the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools in the previous 24 hrs(8). A questionnaire was designed to collect the necessary information and filled in for each case by a trained laboratory technician. The questionnaire was designed to reveal age, sex, associated symptoms, frequency of diarrhoea, duration of diarrhoea, and stool appearance. Sampling and Laboratory Examination: After each patient was examined by a physician, stool specimens were collected from diapers, rectal swab, or directly into sterile glass vials. Samples were then transported in phosphate buffer medium to the laboratory for the detection of rotavirus antigen by commercially available Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit (Dakopatts, Copenhagen, Denmark). The test was performed as recommended by the manufacturer. All samples were stored at -20"<:: until tested. To each 1-2g faecal specimen, 1-2m1 of O.15M sodium chloride solution was added. The mixture was homogenized in a vortex and suspension clarified by low speed centrifugation. The supernatant was diluted 1:10 in phosphate buffer with bovine albumin and was used in the test (ELISA). Samples which show more intense staining colour than the negative controls of the kit by a photometric reading at 492 nm are considered positive for rotavirus antigen. Laboratory examination was not done for other etiological agents of diarrhoea due to various limitations. Climatology: All climatological information was obtained from the National Meteorological Service Agency, based on data collected at two stations in Addis Ababa: Bole and main campus of the Meteorological Service Agency . Data Analysis: Statistical analyses of results were performed by using EPI-INFO version 5 statistical package. |