Occurrence of human Astrovirus associated with gastroenteritis among Congolese children in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.

Abstract Introduction Acute gastroenteritis caused by virus is a major public health concern especially among children younger than 5 years. This study seeks to determine the occurrence of human astrovirus infection in children infected with acute gastroenteritis. Methods Stool specimens were collected from 506 children under five years hospitalized with acute diarrhoea (289 males and 208 females) and human astrovirus was investigated by RT-PCR. Associations of social, demographic, clinical and behavioural conditions with infection were analysed. Results The overall prevalence of 10.3% of human astrovirus was detected. The mean age of positive cases was (12.41 ± 6.21) months and was associated with infection (p = 0.013). Children of age 18 months and above were 3 times at risk of infection (OR = 3.19; CI = 1.15-8.88: p = 0.026).Children living in houses with more than one room and mothers using treated water were associated with reduced infection (OR = 0.60:CI = 0.28-0.96:p = 0.036 and OR = 0.47: CI = 0.25-0.86:p = 0.015) respectfully. Conclusion In this study, infection with astrovirus was common in acute gastroenteritis cases among children younger than 5 years. Drinking treated water and living in non-crowded environments protect from infection.