Title : Viral pathogens of acute gastroenteritis in Egyptian children: Role of the parechovirus
Abstract:
Background and aim: Human parechovirus (HPeV) has emerged as a pathogen associated with acute gastroenteri? tis (AGE).
Aim: To detect the presence of HPeV in the stool samples from Egyptian children with AGE seeking care and the pos? sibility of its co?infection with other enteric viruses.
Methodology: One hundred stool samples were collected from children attending Mansoura University Children’s Hospital with AGE. HPeV and astrovirus were detected by reverse transcriptase?polymerase chain reaction (RT?PCR). At the same time, detection of rotavirus antigen and norovirus was achieved by enzyme?linked immunosorbent assay and rapid immunochromatographic method, respectively.
Results: The most frequently detected virus was rotavirus (39%), followed by norovirus (27%), HPeV (19%), and astrovirus (12%). Interestingly, the single infection with HPeV was 5%. Among the 19 HPeV positive samples, the co? infection of HPeV with other enteric viruses was detected in 9(43.9%) for rotavirus, 7(36.8%) for norovirus, 2(10.5%) for astrovirus, in 3(15.8%) for rotavirus and norovirus and 1(5.3%) for norovirus and astrovirus. Regarding the clinical presentation, there was no significant difference between children infected with HPeV alone and those infected with viruses other than HPeV alone; fever (p = 0.3), vomiting (p = 0.12), abdominal pain (p = 0.12), and grades of severity (P = 0.82). HPeV alone infected children were of mild severity (60%), and their main presenting symptom was fever (60%).
Conclusions: Detection of HPeV as a single viral pathogen in the stool of some children with AGE showed that this virus could be a causative agent of AGE in Egyptian children. Therefore, HPeV could be included as one of the viruses screened for AGE diagnosis in children in Egypt.
