Antigen In Stool Samples Research Articles

Socio-Demography, Clinical Features and Risk Factors of Gastroenteritis Caused by Rotavirus in Diarrheic Children Living in Edo State, Nigeria

Rotaviruses are one of the vital causative agents of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in young children worldwide. This study aimed to present socio-demographic, clinical features and risk factors of gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus in diarrheic children living in Edo State, Nigeria. This study was done using a descriptive cross-sectional survey of AGE in 400 participants (diarrheic children less than 5 years) admitted to four hospitals in Edo State, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical information from study participants. Rotavirus antigen in stool samples collected from the study participants was detected by the immunochromatographic method. Twenty (5.0%) tested positive for rotavirus antigen out of the 400 stool samples examined. A large proportion of the participants were aged one year (24.3%). A large percentage of the participants were exposed to exclusive breastfeeding (94.8%) while 33.5% of this group were exclusively breastfed for a period ranging from 3 to 6 months. Blood and mucous were present in the stool of 66.5% and 74.5% of participants, respectively. Age and exclusive breastfeeding of the participants were the main factors that were associated with the risk of acquiring rotavirus infection. No significant association was observed between the socio-demographic characteristics of the parents/caregivers of the study participants and rotavirus infection. This study shows a significant decline in the incidence of rotavirus infection among children less than 5 years in Edo State, Nigeria; thus, suggesting that the risk of acquiring rotavirus infection might be abating in this age group in Edo State.

Possible Role of Helicobacter pylori in Ear Nose and Throat Diseases.

Helicobacter pylori is assumed to cause many gastric and extragastric diseases. We aimed to assess the possible association role of H. pylori in Otitis media with effusion (OME), nasal polyps and adenotonsillitis. A total of 186 patients with various ear, nose and throat diseases were included. The study comprised 78 children with chronic adenotonsillitis, 43 children with nasal polyps and 65 children with OME. OME patients were assigned to two subgroups: those who have and those who did not have adenoid hyperplasia. Among the patients with bilateral nasal polyps, 20individuals had recurrent nasal polyps and 23 had de novo nasal polyps. Patients who have chronic adenotonsillitis were divided into three groups: those with chronic tonsillitis and those who underwent tonsillitis, those with chronic adenoiditis and adenoidectomy was performed, and those with chronic adenotonsillitis and underwent adenotonsillectomy. In addition to examination of H. pylori antigen in stool samples of all included patients, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of H. pylori in the effusion fluid was performed, additionally, Giemsa stain was used for detection of H. pylori organism within the tissue samples when available. Frequency of H. pylori in effusion fluid was 28.6% in patients with OME and adenoid hyperplasia, while in those with OME it was only 17.4% with a p value of 0.2. Nasal polyp biopsies were positive in 13% patients of denovo, and 30% patients with recurrent nasal polyps, p=0.2. De novo nasal polyps were more prevalent in the positive stools than recurrent ones, p=0.7. All adenoid samples were negative for H. pylori, only two samples of tonsillar tissue (8.3%) were positive for H. pylori, and stool analysis was positive in 23 patients with chronic adenotonsillitis. Lack of association between Helicobacter pylori and occurrence of OME, nasal polyposis or recurrent adenotonsillitis.

Fecal rotavirus and adenovirus antigen detection and clinical analysis of children with acute gastroenteritis in a hospital of Beijing City from 2019 to 2022

As a single-center retrospective study, we analyzed the results of rotavirus and human adenovirus antigens in stool samples with colloidal gold immunochromatography method in children with acute gastroenteritis under the age of five who were treated in our hospital from 2019 to 2022. After excluding nonconforming cases and duplicate cases, 2 896 cases were included, of which 559 cases were detected with at least one viral antigen. According to the test results, they were divided into RV positive group, HAdV positive group and RV & HAdV double positive group. The gender, age, seasonal distribution, clinical symptoms and related laboratory tests were compared and analyzed with χ2 test, analysis of variance and nonparametric test. Among the single samples from 2 896 children, the positive rate of RV antigen was 6.21% (180/2 896), the positive rate of HAdV antigen was 10.91% (316/2 896), and the double positive rate of RV & HAdV was 2.18% (63/2 896). The positive rate of HAdV antigen in 2021 was 16.11%, a significant increase compared with 6.20% in 2020. RV infection has obvious seasonality, and spring and winter are the seasons with high incidence of infection (χ2=74.018, P<0.001), while HAdV infection has no obvious seasonality (χ2=2.110, P=0.550), showing sporadic infection throughout the year. The proportions of fever and vomiting symptoms in children with RV infection were significantly higher than those in the HAdV infection group (χ2=40.401, P<0.001; χ2=32.593, P<0.001), but the positive rate of white blood cells in the stool was significantly lower than that in the HAdV infection group (χ2=13.741,P<0.01). In summary, paying attention to the epidemiological changes of RV and HAdV is of great significance for clinical diagnosis and treatment and disease prevention and control.

Detection and analysis of rotavirus in clinical stool samples using silver nanoparticle functionalized paper as SERS substrate

Among the different analytical techniques, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) approach is a widely used technique for the detection and analysis of various chemicals and biological samples. Present study reports a low-cost, sensitive SERS substrate that has an ability to detect rotavirus in clinical stool samples. The proposed SERS substrate has been fabricated through drop-casting of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on a printing-grade paper. Rotavirus particles were extracted from clinical stool samples. The presence of rotavirus antigen in stool samples was confirmed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and sequencing. The characteristic Raman peaks of rotavirus (RV) particles in solution were found to be significantly enhanced when Raman signals were recorded from the paper-based SERS substrates. Using the proposed SERS substrate, rotavirus samples with concentration as low as 1% could be reliably recorded by the Raman spectrometer. The paper SERS substrate reported herein is an extremely cost-efficient platform and may find applications in other research and clinical laboratories as well.

Investigation of the Frequency of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia intestinalis in Patients with Suppressed Immune System

Objective: Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. are important agents causing diarrhea in developing and developed countries. If untreated, these agents may cause severe life-threatening diarrhea, especially in immunocompromised people and children. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of Cryptosporidium spp. and G. intestinalis in the stool samples of immunocompromised patients who applied to Harran University Research and Application Hospital. Methods: This study was carried out with a total of 100 patients with immunosuppression and diarrhea who were admitted to our hospital between January 2017 and January 2019. Cryptosporidium spp. and G. intestinalis antigens were investigated in stool samples of the patients by immunochromatographic (IC) method and oocyst, and cyst-trophozoite were examined with Native-Lugol and Kinyoun acid-fast staining. Results: G. intestinalis was detected in eight (8%) patients. Seven of them (14%) were pediatric patients (n=50) and one (2%) was an adult female patient (n=50). Cryptosporidium spp. was detected in 3 (3%) patients. Of these, two (4%) were children patients and one (2%) was an adult female patient. Our results also demonstrated that both Cryptosporidium and Giardia were more found in immunocompromised patients, especially in pediatric ones (4% and 14% respectively). Conclusion: Although the cost of the IC method, which detects antigens in stool samples is high, it is easy to work with, provides early results and it also helps to overcome the difficulties in active diagnostic methods. Despite the limited number of investigated samples, our findings showed that the incidence of infections from these two parasites is higher than in other studies conducted in Turkey or European countries.

Evaluating the Diagnostic Accuracy of Rapid Immuno-chromatographic Tests for Early Detection of Rotavirus in Fecal Samples from Children Less than Five Years with Acute Watery Diarrhea

Acute diarrheal illness is a serious public health issue in developing and developed economies, with high morbidity and mortality rates. Children below five years are the most vulnerable, with one in every six dying from diarrhea. Diarrhea may be caused by various viruses, protozoa, and bacteria. Rotavirus, in particular, is often associated with diarrhea in children. Early detection of rotavirus infection reduces the need for medication and the spread of the virus and helps determine the optimal treatment strategies. In this study, we compared the efficacy of the rapid immunochromatography technique (ICT) with that of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect rotavirus antigens in stool samples. Overall, 361 stool samples were obtained from hospitalized children under five-years-old, with acute watery diarrhea symptoms and were tested by both rapid ICT and ELISA. Among these samples, 104 (28.81%) tested positive by ICT and 109 (30.19%) by ELISA. Furthermore, the specificity and sensitivity of ICT were assessed using ELISA, the gold standard test. ICT had a 95.41% sensitivity and a 100% specificity. Thus, during emergency testing, ICT may be utilized as an alternative test for quick diagnosis with high specificity and sensitivity in patients with rotavirus diarrhea.

Design of primers in the molecular detection of Feline Panleukopenia Virus

Feline Panleukopenia is a disease characterized by a reduction in the number of circulating leukocytes and enteritis with degeneration of the intestinal villi. The etiologic agent, called Feline Panleukopenia virus (FPV), belongs to the Parvoviridae family, is highly contagious and has high mortality and morbidity. Although vaccination of healthy cats is the most effective way to prevent the disease, once the symptoms appear, the treatment is supportive, presenting high mortality in the first days of the disease. FPV positive cats should be hospitalized and isolated for at least 2 weeks to avoid viral transmission. Early detection is usually done with the enzyme-linked immunoadsorption assay (ELISA) test that detects viral antigens in stool samples. As a complementary diagnostic method, in this work it was proposed to implement the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) aimed at the diagnosis of FPV initially in positive samples from two feline vaccines and one canine vaccine. As an approximation to real samples, the commercial vaccines were mixed with feces and blood from a healthy cat. The results showed that the In Silico design was successful strategy based on the VP2 gene sequences of FPV available in GenBank® in conjunction with the sharp visualization of positive controls of the expected size and without amplification. nonspecific or negative controls. The fragments obtained has a nucleotide identity percentage greater than 97% with respect to the information available in Genbank® and corroborates the detection of a VP2 fragment. Thus, the future option of applying the same protocol in a diagnostic way is opened, using samples obtained from suspected patients who are infected with FPV.

Occurrence of Cryptosporidium Infection and Associated Risk Factors among HIV-Infected Patients Attending ART Clinics in the Central Region of Ghana.

Cryptosporidium species are intestinal protozoan parasites that infect and cause diarrhoea in animals and humans. The current study was conducted to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Cryptosporidium infection among HIV-infected patients in the Central region of Ghana. In this cross-sectional study, four hundred eighteen documented HIV-infected participants from four health facilities that provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) services across the Central region of Ghana were selected by systematic random sampling. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CoproELISATM, Cryptosporidium Savyon® Diagnostics Ltd., Ashdod, Israel) was used to detect Cryptosporidium antigens in stool samples obtained from participants. Information regarding participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and clinical symptoms as well as potential environmental and behavioral risk factors were collected using a structured questionnaire. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests were used to determine associations between Cryptosporidium infections and explanatory variables, while risk factors were assessed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection among HIV-infected participants in this study was 6.2% (95% CI: 3.90–8.54). Cryptosporidium was not significantly associated with any of the sociodemographic variables, patient clinical symptoms, and environmental factors. However, the prevalence of the parasite was significantly higher 25% (95% CI: 1.17–48.83; p = 0.013) among participants who did not always wash their hands before meals and those who did not always wash vegetables before eating them, 23.5% (95% CI: 1.05–46.01; p = 0.016). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that participants who used public water closet facilities were approximately 9 times more likely to become infected with the parasite than those who practised open defecation (OR: 8.83; 95% CI: 1.22–64.13; p = 0.031). In conclusion, Cryptosporidium is prevalent among HIV-infected patients in the Central region of Ghana. An important risk factor identified was the use of the public water closet toilet facility. More attention should be given to ensuring cleanliness at shared water closet facilities in addition to adequate disinfection of hands after using such facilities.

Gastroduedonal Yakınmaları Olan Hastaların Dışkı Örneklerinde Helicobacter pylori Antijen Pozitifliğinin Retrospektif Olarak Değerlendirilmesi

Objective: Helicobacter pylori is an important pathogen that causes the development of important gastroduodenal pathologies such as acute and chronic gastritis, ulcer and gastric cancer. This pathogen is estimated to infect about half of the world’s population. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the five-year data retrospectively by investigating the presence of H. pylori antigen in stool samples taken from patients who applied to Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty Medical Microbiology Department Serology/ELISA laboratory with gastroduodenal complaints between January 2015 and December 2019. Method: Stool specimens of 4696 patients admitted to the hospital with gastroduodenal complaints between January 2015 and December 2019 were analyzed using an immunochromotographic H. pylori stool antigen test containing monoclonal antibodies. Results: Among 4696 patients who were examined retrospectively in a five-year period, 1176 (25%) had positive, and 3520 (75%) of them negative H. pylori test results. H. pylori-positivity was found in 210 (21.30%) of 986 children and 966 (26.04%) of 3710 adults. H. pylori detection rate in children was found to be significantly lower than adults (p: 0.002). H. pylori positivity was found higher in the 30-39 age range compared to other age groups. Conclusion: Although current study results showed a lower prevalence compared to recent studies, it has been concluded that H. pylori is an important pathogen in all age groups with gastroduodenal complaints and should be monitored in the community.

Rotavirus and adenovirus detecting method: sensitivity and specificity of rapid antigen testing: prospective study in one region of Ireland.

Rotavirus and Adenovirus are common causes of gastroenteritis in children younger than 3years worldwide. Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) is a quick and easy tool to detect virus antigen in stool samples and is more specific than sensitive (higher specificity and lesser sensitivity). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and PCR are more sensitive and specific than RAT. Sensitive and specific tools are required for true diagnosis. We aim to determine sensitivity and specificity of RAT versus PCR testing of rotavirus and adenovirus. From November 18th 2016 to November 18th 2017, all children up to 3years of age who presented to Mayo University Hospital with vomiting and diarrhoea had their stool tested for rotavirus and adenovirus by RAT in Galway University Hospital Laboratory (GUHL) and by PCR testing in the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL) in Dublin; 143 stool samples were tested for Adenovirus, 126 (88%) tested negative at NVRL, two false positive at GUHL, specificity (98.5%). Seventeen were adenovirus positive in the NVRL, two false negative in GUHL, sensitivity (88%); 144 samples were tested for rotavirus, 108 (75%) were RV negative in the NVRL, one false positive at GUHL, specificity (99%); 36 samples were rotavirus positive in the NVRL, ten (28%) false negative in GUHL, sensitivity (72%). RAT has higher specificity than sensitivity and may be useful for mass screening at times of rotavirus or adenovirus outbreaks. PCR remains more sensitive and specific than RAT and is still required for true diagnosis.

EVALUATION OF NANO-GRAPHENE BASED SANDWICH AND DOT-ELISA AS PROMISING TECHNIQUES FOR DIAGNOSIS OF HUMAN INTESTINAL GIARDIASIS

Giardia intestinalis nowadays is recognized as the most common parasitological cause of diarrhea, with 280 million infections per year. Microscopic examination of faecal samples has the advantage of low cost and the ability to simultaneously identify other parasitic infections. However, analysis of single stool sample and the skill of the microscopist can affect the accuracy of detection. As an attempt to improve the sensitivity of laboratory diagnosis of giardiasis, the present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of different parasitological techniques (Mini Parasep, MIFC and direct smear) and to evaluate a novel antigen capture immunoassays based on IgG polyclonal antibody conjugated with nanoparticles (Nano graphene based Sandwich ELISA and Dot-ELISA) for detection of Giardia antigen in stool samples. A total of 96 human stool samples were collected and classified into three groups according to stool examination results, (GI), 61 Giardia infected patients, (GII), 20 samples collected from patients infected with other parasites and (G III), 15 healthy individuals (negative control). In the current study, Giardia antigen detection was carried out by several steps including preparation of Giardia antigen, production, purification and labeling of rabbit anti-Giardia IgG polyclonalantibodies. The Mini Parasep was the best followed by MIFC and direct smear. The study demonstrated that Nano Sandwich ELISA was higher than Traditional Sandwich ELISA regarding sensitivity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy with statistically significant difference between them, while specificity in Traditional Sandwich ELISA was higher than Nano Sandwich ELISA. Dot ELISA and Nano Dot ELISA had the same sensitivity, while Dot ELISA was higher than Nano DotELISA regarding specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy without significant difference. This means that the use of graphene nanoparticles improved the diagnostic testing of human giardiasis.

Accurate Detection of Helicobacter pylori Antigen in Human Stool Specimens by Two Novel Immunoassays.

Stool antigen tests are recommended for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection. Here, we compared two novel assays, i.e., one enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and one immunochromatography assay (ICA), with a chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) that had previously been compared with rapid urease test, histology, and urea breath test. Two hundred sixty-six frozen stool samples with defined CLIA results (42 positives, 219 negatives, and 5 samples with borderline results) collected between January and May 2018 were thawed and immediately tested by EIA, ICA, and CLIA.In 248 samples with repeatedly positive/negative CLIA results, EIA and ICA were positive for 40 and 37 of 41 CLIA-positive samples and yielded negative results for 206 and 201 of 207 CLIA-negative samples, respectively. There was a high positive percent agreement (EIA, 97.6%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 86.3–100%; ICA, 90.2%; 95% CI, 76.9–96.7%), as well as a negative percent agreement between the assays (EIA, 99.5%; 95% CI, 97.0–100%; ICA, 97.1%; 95% CI, 93.7–98.8%). This was further supported by kappa values indicating very good agreement (CLIA vs. EIA, 0.971; CLIA vs. ICA, 0.857). In conclusion, both EIA and ICA comprise valuable assays for the detection of H. pylori antigen in stool samples.

Prevalence of &lt;i&gt;Helicobacter pylori&lt;/i&gt; IgG and stool antigen detection from dyspeptic patients in Jos, Nigeria

Helicobacter pylori is a helical shaped gram negative microaerophilic bacterium , that can inhabit various areas of the stomach. The study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among dyspeptic patients attending Endoscopy unit, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). The prevalence of H pylori ; antibodies in plasma and antigen in stool samples of 80 patients examined was studied using ELISA (DIA PRO, Italy) and ICA (BIOTEST China) respectively. Sociodemographic and clinical information was obtained through the assistance of attending gastroenterology staff. Blood grouping was also performed by slide agglutination test for all patients. Helicobacter pylori IgG antibodies were detected in plasma of 28 (35%) patients of which 27 patients out of the sero-positive cases were antigen positive while Helicobacter pylori antigen was detected in the stool of 31 (38.8%) patients of which 27 patients out of the antigen positive cases were also seropositve. No significant association was found between Helicobacter pylori and age, sex, ABO blood group, economic status, source of water and consumption of alcohol. Thus, Helicobacter pylori seropositivity with respect to blood groups was found to be 32.6%, 46.7%, 33.3% and 33.3% in blood groups O, B, A and AB respectively, while Helicobacter pylori stool antigen test positive results was found to be 33.3%, 33.3%, 46% and 39.5% in blood groups O, B, A and AB respectively. Hence, no statistical association was found between Helicobacter pylori infection and blood groups of the patients (P>0.05). However, marital status was significantly associated with Helicobacter pylori antibody test (P<0.05). There is need for government to encourage people about the Helicobacter pylori screening test since it is one of the etiologic agent of ulcer. Keywords : Helicobacter pylori , Jos, Peptic ulcer, Prevalence.

Development of an electrochemical nano-biosensor for rapid and sensitive diagnosis of bilharzia in Kenya

Bilharzia, also known as schistosomiasis, is still affecting more than 250 million people, killing about 200 000 annually and leaving millions of others debilitated. Current diagnostic tools have extremely low validity and are not readily applicable for rapid diagnosis in rural and remote areas. In low-grade infections, microscopy, the most commonly used method, may have low sensitivity. For example, in suspected cases, up to five real sample specimens are recommended for increased sensitivity. The rise of nanotechnology has created the potential to significantly improve the current diagnostic approaches. Conjugating antibodies with nanoparticles pools the distinctive properties of the nanoparticles with the specificity and selectivity of the antibodies in the recognition of the antigen. This in return leads to a very versatile and specific mixed product with improved analytical signal which is important for fast, sensitive and real-time point-of-care diagnosis. In this work, we report the use of nanotechnology to develop a simple and sensitive nano-biosensor which consisted of a nano-strip with immobilized gold nanoparticles conjugated with bilharzia antibody, and demonstrated its potential for diagnosis of bilharzia antigen. A detection range of 1.13 × 10 1 ng mL –1 to 2.3 × 10 3 ng mL –1 of bilharzia antigen in stool samples and with a limit of detection of 8.3887 × 10 –2 ngmL –1 was attained, indicating the potential of the nano-biosensor to be used to detect bilharzia antigen in stool samples. Keywords: Bilharzia, nanobased-biosensor, nanostrips, nanokits

Evaluation of nanogold-beads-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of cryptosporidium antigen in stool samples of diarrheic patients.

Evaluation of nanogold-beads-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of cryptosporidium antigen in stool samples of diarrheic patients.

Evaluation of the isolation and identification methods for Helicobacter pylori bacterium, isolated from peptic ulcer patients

This study was evaluated the isolation and identification of H.pylori using conventional methods of histological biopsy for 60 patients with different ages from 10-75 years old for both sexes with stomach and duodenal ulcers using urease test and classical culture. The biopsy samples were collected using laparoscopic. The endoscopy for patients was undergone by a specialist doctor and under local anesthesia and it has also been investigating the bacterial antigen in stool samples of patients with questionable caught the infectious ulcers and adopted phenotypic tests and biochemical diagnosis of the germ. The study showed the efficiency of rapid urease test in screening for H.pylori where the efficiency shown in 41 tissue biopsy and were given the best results in the routine culture where isolated 44 isolates of H.pylori from patients under study. When screening for bacterial antigen exit showed positive results for 34 out of 100 stool samples with proportion 34%.

Development and initial evaluation of a lateral flow dipstick test for antigen detection of Entamoeba histolytica in stool sample

Entamoeba histolytica infection remains a public health concern in developing countries. Early diagnosis of amoebiasis can avoid disease complications, thus this study was aimed at developing a test that can rapidly detect the parasite antigens in stool samples. Rabbits were individually immunized with recombinant pyruvate phosphate dikinase (rPPDK) and E. histolytica excretory-secretory antigens to produce polyclonal antibodies. A rapid dipstick test was produced using anti-rPPDK PAb lined on the dipstick as capture reagent and anti-EhESA PAb conjugated to colloidal gold as the detector reagent. Using E. histolytica-spiked in stool sample of a healthy individual, the detection limit of the dipstick test was found to be 1000 cells ml−1. Meanwhile when rPPDK was spiked in the stool sample, the minimum concentration detected by the dipstick test was 0.1 μg ml−1. The performances of the dipstick, commercial Techlab E. histolytica II enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and real-time PCR were compared using 70 stool samples from patients infected with Entamoeba species (n = 45) and other intestinal pathogens (n = 25). When compared to real-time PCR, the diagnostic sensitivity of the dipstick for detection of E. histolytica was 65.4% (n = 17/26); while the diagnostic specificity when tested with stool samples containing other intestinal pathogens was 92% (23/25). In contrast, Techlab E. histolytica II ELISA detected 19.2% (5/26) of the E. histolytica-positive samples as compared to real-time PCR. The lateral flow dipstick test produced in this study enabled rapid detection of E. histolytica, thus it showed good potential to be further developed into a diagnostic tool for intestinal amoebiasis.

Evaluation of nanogold-beads-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of cryptosporidium antigen in stool samples of diarrheic patients

Evaluation of nanogold-beads-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of cryptosporidium antigen in stool samples of diarrheic patients

Relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and pre-eclampsia among pregnant women in Ardabil

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Studies have shown that certain infections can increase the risk of pre-eclampsia which one of the common infections among pregnant women was &lt;em&gt;H. pylori&lt;/em&gt; with prevalence rate of 60-70% in developing countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between H. pylori infection and pre-eclampsia among pregnant women.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; Blood and stool samples were taken from 108 women with pre-eclampsia and 108 healthy pregnant women. Blood samples analyzed by ELISA for specific antibodies against &lt;em&gt;H. pylori&lt;/em&gt; cytotoxin associated gene A (Cag A) antigen and stool samples were studied in terms of the presence of &lt;em&gt;H. pylori&lt;/em&gt; Cag A antigen. Collected data were analyzed using statistical methods in SPSS.20. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; 30 cases (27.8%) of pre-eclampsia women and 34 (31.5%) of healthy women were sero-positive for Cag A antibodies that was not statistically significant difference. Whereas, 67 cases (62.4%) in the case group and 48 cases (44.4%) in the control group had Cag A antigen in stool samples that was statistically significant difference.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/strong&gt; Results showed that, based on detection of &lt;em&gt;H. pylori&lt;/em&gt; antigen in stool samples, frequency of active &lt;em&gt;H. pylori&lt;/em&gt; in women with pre-eclampsia was 1.8 times higher than the healthy women.&lt;/p&gt;

Epidemiology, Seasonality and Factors Associated with Rotavirus Infection among Children with Moderate-to-Severe Diarrhea in Rural Western Kenya, 2008-2012: The Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS).

ObjectiveTo evaluate factors associated with rotavirus diarrhea and to describe severity of illness among children <5 years old with non-dysenteric, moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) in rural western Kenya.MethodsWe analyzed data from children <5 years old with non-dysenteric MSD enrolled as cases in the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) in Kenya. A non-dysenteric MSD case was defined as a child with ≥3 loose stools in 24 hrs. and one or more of the following: sunken eyes, skin tenting, intravenous rehydration, or hospitalization, who sought care at a sentinel health center within 7 days of illness onset. Rotavirus antigens in stool samples were detected by ELISA. Demographic and clinical information was collected at enrollment and during a single follow-up home visit at approximately 60 days. We analyzed diarrhea severity using a GEMS 17 point numerical scoring system adapted from the Vesikari score. We used logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with rotavirus infection.ResultsFrom January 31, 2008 to September 30, 2012, among 1,637 (92%) non-dysenteric MSD cases, rotavirus was detected in stools of 245 (15.0%). Rotavirus-positive compared with negative cases were: younger (median age, 8 vs. 13 months; p<0.0001), had more severe illness (median severity score, 9 vs 8; p<0.0001) and had to be hospitalized more frequently (37/245 [15.1%] vs. 134/1,392 [9.6%]), p <0.013). Independent factors associated with rotavirus infection included age 0–11 months old (aOR = 5.29, 95% CI 3.14–8.89) and presenting with vomiting ≥3 times/24hrs (aOR = 2.58, 95% CI [1.91–3.48]). Rotavirus was detected more commonly in warm and dry months than in the cool and rainy months (142/691 [20%] vs 70/673 [10%]) p<0.0001).ConclusionsDiarrhea caused by rotavirus is associated with severe symptoms leading to hospitalization. Consistent with other settings, infants had the greatest burden of disease.