Abstract
Introduction: Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe, life threatening gastroenteritis in infants and young children. As rotavirus strains vary between geographic areas, region specific genotyping information is highly vital to study rotavirus epidemiology and to monitor strain variation after vaccine introduction. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of rotavirus diarrhoea, strains causing the infection among children younger than five years of age and to study the clinical profile of rotavirus diarrhoea to ascertain factors associated with rotavirus infection in them. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 150 children under five years with diarrhoea in the Department of Paediatrics, Government Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India from November 2017 to August 2018. The clinical severity was assessed by using Vesikari score. By using PremierTM Rotaclone ELISA Kit rotavirus antigen was detected. Positive samples were tested for RNA identification by Reverese Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). The IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of rotavirus diarrhoea was 17.3% and positive samples belonged to G3 type. Prevalence of rotavirus diarrhoea among the vaccinated children was less when compared to unvaccinated children (p-value 0.034). Clinical severity score (Vesikari score) indicated that patients infected with rotavirus had severe disease as compared to rotavirus non infected patients (p-value 0.011). The duration of hospital stay was longer in rotavirus-positive children as compared to rotavirus-negative children (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights the serotype specific prevalence of rotavirus diarrhoea in under five children. Rotavirus has been found to have more severe and prolonged illness among unimmunised under five children; thereby, reinforcing the need for routine rotavirus vaccination.
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