Prevalence of Rotavirus diarrhea among under-five hospitalized children in government tertiary hospital, Tirupati

Abstract

Context: Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea requiring hospitalization among infants and young children worldwide. The prevalence of Rotavirus diarrhea in India has been found to vary from 5% to 71% in hospitalized children less than 5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis. The seasonal variation of Rotavirus diarrhea in India varies in different geographical regions with high incidence in winter months, at low relative humidity in north India. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of Rotavirus diarrhea among the hospitalized children of age less than 5 years. To know the genotypic distribution of Rotavirus causing diarrhea. Settings and Design: Study design: Hospital-based cross-sectional study. Study setting: Pediatrics Department of Sri Venkateswara Ram Naraian Ruya Government General Hospital, Tirupati. Study period: 20th September 2012 to 19th September 2013. Methods and Materials: Study units: Children less than 5 years of age presenting with diarrhea. Stool specimens from all hospitalized children of age less than 5 years who had presented with acute watery diarrhea were collected and tested for Rotavirus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive samples were tested for G and P typing by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction technique. Statistical Analysis Used: Percentage and Chi-square analysis. Results: Among the study sample, 68.7% of children were in the age group between 1 and 12 months and 25.6% of children showed positive result for Rotavirus by ELISA. Of the Rotavirus positives, 50% were G1P8 viruses. Conclusion: Rotavirus is an important cause of diarrhea in hospitalized children.

Keywords

• diarrhea
• elisa
• genotyping
• rotavirus
• tirupati