ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Biotecnologica 2018 December;30(4):97-101

DOI: 10.23736/S1120-4826.18.02431-X

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Assessment of PCR real time for quantification of human enterovirus in children with acute gastroenteritis in Italy

Valentina DAPRÀ ¹, Ilaria GALLIANO ^{1, 2}, Cristina CALVI ^{1, 2}, Paola MONTANARI ^{1, 2}, Massimiliano BERGALLO ^{1, 2} ✉

¹ Department of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences, Citoimmunodiagnostics Laboratory, Medical School, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; ² Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

BACKGROUND: Gastroenteritis is a common disease in children, characterized by diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever. Until the age of 5 years, 7-30 episodes of diarrhea have been associated with more than 11,000 deaths per day worldwide. Although enterovirus infections are typically considered in the differential diagnosis of abacterial meningitis, their potential contribution to acute gastroenteritis in children is not well documented.
METHODS: A total of 162 fecal specimens were collected from under-five-year-old children with acute gastroenteritis in pediatric Hospital Regina Margherita of Turin in Italy from December 2014 to November 2015, routinely screened for rotavirus and adenovirus were tested for human enterovirus (HEV).
RESULTS: In this study, the detection rates of HEV were 6.8% in fecal specimens from pediatric patients with gastroenteritis. Previous reports have indicated detection rates of HEV in pediatric patients with gastroenteritis symptoms ranging from 1.1% to 6.1%.
CONCLUSIONS: Routine surveillance among children with acute gastroenteritis and healthy controls will further help in the assessment of the role of HEV in childhood diarrhea.

KEY WORDS: Enterovirus - Epidemiology - Child