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 (P��0.05��. The rate had a
significant difference between different epidemic seasons (P��0.001��.The major
electropherotypes between asymptomatic and symptomatic rotavirus
infection in infants and young children had no significant difference (P��0.05).
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