RESUMO
During the period May 1993-April 1994, an epidemiological survey was conducted on enteric viruses which cause gastroenteritis in infants and young children in Tirana, Albania. Specimens from 321 cases were screened by direct electron microscopy and by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific for rotavirus group A antigen. By ultrastructural analysis, rotaviruses were detected in 10.3% of cases and adenoviruses in 0.6%, whereas small round structured viruses and small round viruses were found in 2.8% and 2.2% of cases, respectively. Different percentages of rotavirus excretors were revealed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (12.15%) and electron microscopy. Samples rotavirus-positive in at least one of these assays were also analyzed by agglutination of latex particles and electron microscopy results were confirmed. Analysis of electron microscopy-positive samples by rotaviral RNA polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed five different long electropherotypes of rotavirus among which a single, largely predominant electropherotype (65.5%) was observed.
Assuntos
Diarreia Infantil/epidemiologia , Gastroenterite/epidemiologia , Infecções por Rotavirus/epidemiologia , Viroses/epidemiologia , Adenoviridae/isolamento & purificação , Albânia/epidemiologia , Antígenos Virais/isolamento & purificação , Pré-Escolar , Diarreia Infantil/virologia , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Fezes/virologia , Gastroenterite/virologia , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , RNA Viral/isolamento & purificação , Rotavirus/isolamento & purificação , Vírus/isolamento & purificaçãoRESUMO
During 1988-1991, an epidemiological survey was conducted in Tirana (Albania) on group A rotavirus strains which cause gastroenteritis in infants and young children. Rotaviruses were detected in 312 of 1,241 (25.1%) examined specimens from children with acute diarrhoea. Viruses were detected throughout the study period. Among the 72 rotavirus strains tested for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) electrophoretic migration pattern, 9 different electropherotypes were recognized, 1 of those being more frequent than the others. At the beginning and at the end of the examined period (1988 and 1990-1991) two different long electropherotypes were predominant, whereas in 1989 (middle period) short electropherotypes were common indicating an involvement of virus strains with short electropherotypes in hospitalization-requiring diarrhoeas occurring in the area surveyed in that year.