Incidence of Adenovirus Diarrhea in Children under 6 years Referred to the Pediatric Emergency and Clinic of Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran

Background and Aim: Adenovirus is the leading etiological agent among the causes of acute diarrhea in infants and young children and the second cause of diarrhea in children by age of 4 years. However, there isn't an accurate statistic for the frequency of adenovirus diarrhea in our area. So we decided to perform a study on the incidence of adenovirus in acute diarrhea.

Materials and Methods: In this study, the incidence of adenovirus infection was studied in 200 children less than six years of age who were suffering from acute gastroenteritis between March 2008 and July 2009 in Mashhad, Iran. Adenovirus antigen was detected by Latex Agglutination Test (Rotascreen) method. 

Results: Adenovirus was detected in 2% of the stool samples that were collected from children. The frequency of adenovirus infection was significantly higher among patients 12-24 months of age (75%) than children of more than 30 months (25%) old. The highest rate of adenovirus antigen detection was observed among 12-24 months of age group. The peak incidence was in winter and autumn.

Conclusion: Adenovirus is an important and common agent in causing gastroenteritis in children less than 6 years of age. Adenovirus is more dangerous than rotavirus; there is no need to use antibiotics for treating these children. We should recognize the agent in order to cure the patients with conservative actions.