A Survey on Rotavirus Associated Diarrhea in 5 Main Cities of Iran

Background: Rotaviruses a major group of viruses that cause severe gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. Many different viruses can cause gastroenteritis, including Noroviruses, Adenoviruses, Sapoviruses, and Astroviruses. Serum antibody studies show that most of the children are infected with Rotavirus at least once in their life by the age of 3. In the world, approximately 400-600 thousand children in poor countries die annually by Rotavirus-associated dehydration. Most of the deaths occur in these countries because of delay in treatment. Despite low death rates in industrialized countries, good hygiene and sanitation do not appear to reduce the prevalence or prevent the spread of Rotavirus. Objectives: This study was aimed to detect Rotavirus in stool samples of infected patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) serological method in 5 cities of Iran. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, 2988 stool samples of patients with acute gastroenteritis were collected from childrens hospitals of 5 main cities of Iran. The samples were sent in frozen condition to pediatric infection research center in Tehran and stored at -70C. ELISA test was performed for detection of Rotavirus antigens. The mean age of study population was 1 to 5 years. Results: ELISA method on 2988 stool samples from 5 cities revealed rotavirus-positive results in 55.48% cases, including 8.97% in Tehran, 7.56% in Tabriz, 7.76% in Mashhad, 14.42% in Shiraz, and 16.77% in Bandar Abbas). 59.2% of positive samples occurred in males and 40.8% in females. Conclusions: Rotavirus is one of the major causes of gastroenteritis in children in Iran that can be easily detectable by ELISA method through which early diagnosis, treatment, and preventive vaccination can dramatically reduce mortality and morbidity rates of the disease.