Espul Carlos, Martínez Norma, Noel Jacqueline S, Cuello Hector, Abrile Cristina, Grucci Sandra, Glass Roger, Berke Tamas, Matson David O
Virology Laboratory, Central Hospital, Mendoza, Argentina.
J Med Virol. 2004 Jan;72(1):75-82. doi: 10.1002/jmv.10537.
Among viral agents causing gastroenteritis, human astroviruses (HAstVs) take second or third place, after rotaviruses and caliciviruses, as the most frequent cause of illness. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of HAstV infection and to characterize the circulating HAstV strains in children with diarrhea under 3 years of age treated between 1995 and 1998 at out- or in-patient facilities of the children's hospital in Mendoza, Argentina. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) were used to detect HAstVs in stool specimens. Positive specimens were tested further by EIA and/or sequenced to type detected HAstV strains. HAstVs were detected in 40 (3.7%) of 1,070 samples that were rotavirus and calicivirus-negative: 14 (3.5%) of 402 from outpatients and 26 (3.9%) of 668 from inpatients. HAstV infection tended to be more severe in children during their first year of life: 18 (4.7%) of 383 HAstV-positive children 0-11 months old were hospitalized versus 8 (2.8%) of 285 children 1 year of age or older (P = 0.29). Type 1 (HAstV-1) was the most common type (41%), followed by HAstV-4 (25%), HAstV-2 (13%), HAstV-3 (13%), and HAstV-5 (8%). In this first epidemiological study of HAstV infection in this region, we confirmed HAstV to be a cause of severe gastroenteritis in children, more often among children younger than 12 months of age. HastV-4 caused 25% of HastV infections in Mendoza, although it has been detected commonly elsewhere. Distinct genetic lineages were apparent but their epidemiological significance remains to be demonstrated.
在引起肠胃炎的病毒病原体中，人类星状病毒（HAstVs）是仅次于轮状病毒和杯状病毒的第二或第三大常见致病原因。本研究的目的是确定HAstV感染的流行率，并对1995年至1998年期间在阿根廷门多萨儿童医院门诊或住院治疗的3岁以下腹泻儿童中传播的HAstV毒株进行特征分析。采用逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）和酶免疫测定（EIA）检测粪便标本中的HAstVs。对阳性标本进一步进行EIA检测和/或测序，以确定检测到的HAstV毒株类型。在1070份轮状病毒和杯状病毒检测呈阴性的样本中，有40份（3.7%）检测到HAstVs：门诊患者的402份样本中有14份（3.5%），住院患者的668份样本中有26份（3.9%）。HAstV感染在1岁以内的儿童中往往更为严重：383名0至11个月大的HAstV阳性儿童中有18名（4.7%）住院，而285名1岁及以上儿童中有8名（2.8%）住院（P = 0.29）。1型（HAstV-1）是最常见的类型（41%），其次是HAstV-4（25%）、HAstV-2（13%）、HAstV-3（13%）和HAstV-5（8%）。在该地区首次进行的关于HAstV感染的流行病学研究中，我们证实HAstV是儿童严重肠胃炎的病因之一，在12个月以下的儿童中更为常见。尽管HAstV-4在其他地方普遍被检测到，但它在门多萨引起了25%的HAstV感染。明显存在不同的基因谱系，但其流行病学意义仍有待证明。
