Rotavirus and adenovirus infections and co-infections as a cause of acute gastroenteritis in hospitalized children – a single centre study

Introduction
Acute infectious diarrhoea or acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common gastrointestinal infection that affects children around the world. Viruses are the major pathogens of community-acquired AGE in children. The aim of the study was to establish the main aetiological agents of acute viral gastroenteritis.

Material and methods
The study included 1411 patients (aged 1 month to 5 years) hospitalized due to AGE in the Department of Gastrology, Upper Silesian Children’s Health Centre, Katowice in the years 2017–2019. All patients’ stool samples were screened for the presence of rotavirus and adenovirus antigens by the ELISA method.

Results
Aetiological agents were detected in 876 cases (62%). Viral infection was confirmed in 286 cases (56%). In this group of patients, 239 (59%) children had confirmed rotavirus (RV) aetiology, 28 (13%) had adenovirus (AV), and 19 (12%) had simultaneous RV and AV infection. There was a decrease in the number of hospitalizations due to AGE of RV aetiology (in 2017 – 83.5%, 2018 – 33%, in 2019 – 35%, p < 0.05). In the same period, there was a significant increase in the number of AV infections: from 9.8% in 2017 to 35% in 2018 and 39% in 2019 (p < 0.05). The increasing frequency of RV and AV co-infections is also noteworthy, from 6.7% children in 2017 to 30.9% and 25% patients respectively in 2018 and 2019 (p < 0.05). Early spring and late winter seasonality was observed only in the case of RV. No seasonality of adenoviral infections was found.

Conclusions
Rotavirus infections are the leading cause of hospitalization of children in spring and late winter months, whereas adenoviruses showed no clear seasonality.