Viral diarrhea in children in Beijing, China

A study was undertaken from November 1994 to August 1996 to determine the r ole of viruses in children (less than or equal to 5 years of age) hospitali zed at Beijing Children Hospital, Beijing China, for acute diarrhea. Stool samples from diarrheal patients were investigated by ELISA, electron micros copy, and RT-PCR for the presence of rotavirus, calicivirus, astrovirus, an d adenovirus. Group A rotavirus was detected in 55.9% of all diarrheal pati ents and comprised 82.5% of all viruses detected. Group A rotavirus samples were further characterized for their G-type specificity by RT-PCR. Four ma jor G types (1-4) were identified. G1 to G4 accounted for 58.9%, 15.7%, 16. 8%, and 6.3%, respectively, of the serotyped samples. Almost all rotavirus infections occurred in children less than 1 year of age, with a significant clustering during the winter months. Group C rotavirus was detected in one 18-month-old child. Astroviruses, caliciviruses, and adenoviruses were det ected in 8.5%, 7.6%, and 2.5% of the hospitalized children, respectively. T his, the first viral etiological study of childhood diarrhea in China, conc ludes that rotavirus G1-4 strains play an important role in severe diarrhea in Beijing children. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.