Abstract
We prospectively evaluated rotavirus (RV) excretion in daily fecal specimens from 16 hospitalized children who were originally hospitalized for reasons other than acute gastroenteritis (GE). Seven of the 16 infants were initially evaluated during the course of noscomially-acquired RV GE. The other 9 children, who were selected because they were judged to be likely to have prolonged hospital stays, were asymptomatic and RV(−) at the time of initial study. All of these 9 children shed RV during the study period (1/84-4/84), but RV excretion was associated with clinically apparent GE in only 2 of these 9 patients. RV were shed for a mean of 23 days (range, 4-59 days) in the 16 hospitalized patients. Sequential analysis of RV shedding indicated that many of the children passed RV(+) specimens interspersed with RV(−) specimens as assayed by EM, immunoassay, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Genetic analysis of RV from asymptomatic and symptomatic periods indicated that several mechanisms were responsible for prolonged periods of RV excretion: reinfection by different strains of RV, persistent infection with a single RV strain, and simultaneous infection with more than one RV strain. It is also likely that genetic reassortment occurred among RV strains. The excretion of RV in hospitalized patients may not be detected by standard assays performed at a single point in time. These patients may serve as unrecognized reservoirs for transmission of RV infection.
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Elden, J., Losonsky, G., Vonderfecht, S. et al. GENETIC ANALYSIS OF HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED ROTAVIRUS INFECTION: IDENTIFICATION OF THE MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROLONGED INFECTION. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 256 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00536
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00536