Abstract
Gastroenteritis is one of the most important diseases in developing country and viral infections are well documented. To understand better the epidemiological aspect of gastroenteritis in Albania and especially viral gastroenteritis, one-year study was carried out with the cooperation of physicians working in the Paediatric Hospital in University Hospital Center "Mother Thereza" in Tirana. Three hundred thirteen stool samples were collected from children with diarrhoea and a questionnaire was filled by the health personnel for each child. Analysis of the questionnaires revealed that overcrowding families and the limited availability of drinking water at home were risk factors for gastroenteritis. All the tests for enteroviruses were carried out using the molecular methods. One hundred and forty-seven out of three hundred thirteen stool samples showed a specific amplification band for one of the enteric viruses: astrovirus, adenovirus, rotavirus, and norovirus with an overall positive specimen rate of 46.9%. Rotavirus was the most frequent virus identified in 105 out of 147 samples (71.4%), astrovirus in 5 (3.4%), norovirus in 19 (12.9%), and enteric adenovirus in 18 (12.3%) samples. Double infection was present only in 14 samples (9.5%). The data suggest an evident circulation of viruses involved in gastroenteritis with a higher prevalence of rotavirus.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
