Prevalence and factors associated with rotavirus infection among infants admitted for diarrhea in the region of Mid Iraq

Abstract

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe childhood diarrhea worldwide and of diarrheal mortality in developing countries. In Iraq, few studies and analysis were executed for evaluation of the extent of rotavirus caused diarrhea among infants and its magnitude as a cause of the most common clinical attending symptoms to the daily care clinics and hospital admission.. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of rotavirus caused gastroenteritis and identify the clinical factors associated with rotavirus caused diarrhea among infants admitted to the hospital or treated as outpatients in three governorates in the region of Mid-Iraq for symptoms of gastroenteritis. This study was undertaken during the period from June 2010 to April 2012 in infants under 1 year suffering from acute gastroenteritis. Group A rotaviruses were detected in stools by latex agglutination test and the diagnosis were confirmed by ELISA test.
Of the 348 stool specimens from infants with acute gastroenteritis, 42.45% were positive for rotavirus A. Infants of 9 and 10 months of age were most frequently affected. The prevalence of rotavirus infection peaked in the Autumn season, when temperatures were low, and decreased in summer. There was no significantdifferences in the severity of symptoms between rotavirus caused diarrhea than and in diarrhea of other causes. Epidemiological knowledge of rotavirus is critical for the development of effective preventive measures, including vaccines. These data will help to make informed decisions as to whether rotavirus vaccine should be considered for inclusion in Iraqi National Immunization Program.