Significantly Longer Shedding of Norovirus Compared to Rotavirus and Adenovirus in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis
Yuanyuan Qiu,
Stephen B. Freedman,
Sarah Williamson-Urquhart,
Ken J. Farion,
Serge Gouin,
Naveen Poonai,
Suzanne Schuh,
Yaron Finkelstein,
Jianling Xie,
Bonita E. Lee,
Linda Chui,
Xiaoli Pang,
on behalf of the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada Probiotic Regimen for Outpatient Gastroenteritis Utility of Treatment (PROGUT) Trial Group
Affiliations
Yuanyuan Qiu
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Stephen B. Freedman
Sections of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Gastroenterology, Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T3B 6A8, Canada
Sarah Williamson-Urquhart
Paediatric Emergency Research Team, Alberta Children’s Hospital, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T3B 6A8, Canada
Ken J. Farion
Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
Serge Gouin
Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ste-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
Naveen Poonai
Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Departments of Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada
Suzanne Schuh
Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
Yaron Finkelstein
Divisions of Emergency Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
Jianling Xie
Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T3B 6A8, Canada
Bonita E. Lee
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute, Stollery Children’s Hospital, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Linda Chui
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Xiaoli Pang
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
on behalf of the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada Probiotic Regimen for Outpatient Gastroenteritis Utility of Treatment (PROGUT) Trial Group
Worldwide, acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children under 5 years of age. Viruses, including norovirus, rotavirus, and enteric adenovirus, are the leading causes of pediatric AGE. In this prospective cohort study, we investigated the viral load and duration of shedding of norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus in stool samples collected from 173 children (median age: 15 months) with AGE who presented to emergency departments (EDs) across Canada on Day 0 (day of enrollment), and 5 and 28 days after enrollment. Quantitative RT-qPCR was performed to assess the viral load. On Day 0, norovirus viral load was significantly lower compared to that of rotavirus and adenovirus (p p p < 0.001), respectively. Overall, in stool samples of children with AGE who presented to EDs, rotavirus and adenovirus had higher viral loads at presentation compared to norovirus; however, norovirus was shed in stool for the longest duration.
