Prevalence of enteric adenovirus and co-infection with rotavirus in children under 15 years of age with gastroenteritis in Qom, Iran

AIM: The current study is the first performed in Qom to determine the prevalence of adenovirus and co-infections with rotavirus in children aged <15 years with gastroenteritis symptoms. BACKGROUND: Gastroenteritis-associated viral infections are a cause of death among young children worldwide, especially in developing countries. The Adenovirus species F (40 and 41) are responsible for a range of acute diarrhea cases among infants and children. METHODS: Over a period of 9 months, a total of 130 children suffering from intestinal problems who referred to the infectious ward of Children's Hospital were enrolled in the current study. After clinical examination and collection of demographic information, fecal samples were obtained from the patients. Viral genomes were extracted with a commercial kit and amplified and typed by adenovirus-specific PCR assay. Adenovirus-positive samples were also evaluated for co-infection with rotavirus. RESULTS: Patients had a mean±SD age of 2.66±2.72 years; 63.1% of patients were male and 36.9% were female. Adenovirus infection was identified in 23 cases (17.7%), 21 (91.0%) and 2 (9.0%) of which were type 41 and type 40, respectively. Fever was the most common clinical manifestation among adenovirus-positive patients. No significant difference was observed between adenovirus infection and clinical symptoms, seasonal pattern, or serum laboratory results. Co-infection was found in only 5 cases (21.7%). CONCLUSION: This study was the first to demonstrate adenovirus infection with a relatively high prevalence among children, especially infants, in Qom. The findings further revealed co-infection with rotavirus, indicating a health problem in this region.