VIRAL GASTROENTERITIS AMONG YOUNG-CHILDREN IN NORTHERN JORDAN

During the summer months of 1992 and 1993, a total of 439 diarrhoeatic fecal specimens from infants and young children less than 3 years of age admitted to the pediatric ward of Princess Basma Teaching Hospital , northern Jordan were tested for the presence of viruses using direct electron microscopy (EM) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA ) for rotavirus, EM revealed rotaviruses in 83 (18.9 per cent) of case s, adenoviruses in five (1.1 per cent) cases, and small round viruses in three (0.68 per cent) cases, In contrast, the ELISA assay detected rotaviruses in 174 (39.6 per cent) of cases, In an evaluation of the c ollected diarrhoeatic fecal samples for rotavirus detected by ELISA, a sensitivity of 95.2 per cent and a specificity of 73.3 per cent was d emonstrated.