Association of human rotavirus infection and intestinal rotavirus-specific immunoglobulin A in children with diarrhoea.

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of intestinal specific rotavirus IgA antibody in protection against diarrhoea due to rotavirus infection. Stool from children aged below 5 years with diarrhoea who reported to the Paediatric Observation Ward, Kenyatta National Hospital were examined for micro-organisms and IgA antibody. Specific rotavirus IgA antibody and antigen were determined using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay technique. Out of 153 stool specimens, 22% (34/153) were positive for rotavirus antigen and 15% (23/153) had IgA specific antibody to rotavirus. Children with specific IgA to rotavirus had no rotavirus except in two cases (p < 0.05). There was no difference in levels of specific IgA antibody between normal and malnourished children (p = 0.4). It is probable that intestinal specific IgA to rotavirus protects children against rotavirus diarrhoea.