Rotavirus infections in high-risk neonates.

During a 12-month period, 260 neonates in a referral neonatal nursery were examined weekly for rotavirus infection. A total of 15.4 per cent were found positive during their stay in the nursery and one-quarter of these neonates had symptoms of diarrhoea. Most infected neonates excreted rotavirus in only one stool sample. No seasonal variation was found in the incidence of infections. Rotavirus infection was related to low birthweight and length of stay in the neonatal nursery. Breast-fed newborns were less often infected than formula-fed neonates although they were of comparable weight and spent longer in the unit. In neonatal intensive care units methods for the detection of rotavirus in patients with diarrhoea should be undertaken routinely.