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Transmission of a small round structured virus by vomiting during a hospital outbreak of gastroenteritis.

An outbreak of gastroenteritis due to a small round structured virus (SRSV) (Norwalk-like virus) occurred in an elderly care unit, affecting a total of 126 patients and staff. The outbreak caused major disruption to the provision of health care services by the unit over a 3-week period. Following the outbreak a study was undertaken to explore risk factors for acquisition of SRSV infection by health care workers on the unit. Exposure to patients nearby who were vomiting and the number of close contacts with ill patients were significantly related to the risk of developing gastroenteritis (P < 0.05). No significant increase in risk of developing gastroenteritis was found in nurses who cleaned vomit or faeces from affected patients. The findings suggest that aerosolization of vomit was of major importance in transmission of infection during the outbreak; the implications for infection control are discussed.

Caliciviridae Infections↗

[Nosocomial viral infections in a pediatric service: example of rotaviral gastroenteritis and respiratory syncytial viral bronchiolitis].

UNLABELLED: Nosocomial infections are a preoccupation in a pediatric hospital mainly during the winter with bronchiolitis and gastroenteritis epidemics. We have examined the risk factors of nosocomial infections. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted between November, 1999 and March, 2000 in the infants units of the Le Havre hospital. We systematically listed the admissions and contacted the family after their discharge by phone. A geographic information system was implemented to display the epidemiological data; this software is able to illustrate the sectors at risk. RESULTS: During the study, 687 infants were hospitalized of whom 458 for bronchiolitis and community-acquired gastroenteritis. Mean age was 5.4 months old. No nosocomial bronchiolitis occurred. Prevalence of nosocomial gastroenteritis was 10% (68 cases including nine after discharge). Infants with nosocomial infection were younger than those with community-acquired infection (6.6 months vs. 11.2 months, P < 0.01). The mean length of stay was longer in nosocomial infection (7.7 vs. 4.1 days, P < 0.05). Among the infants with bronchiolitis, 16% have developed nosocomial intestinal infections (RR = 2.65, IC: 1.59-4.4; P < 0.01). The geographic analysis pointed the area with nosocomial risk (bedroom without water, nearness of nurse office and games room). CONCLUSION: Geographic information system is a part of the quality control system and may have some interaction effect on final decision making. Incidence of nosocomial infections showed the need for a prevention strategy in a pediatric hospital.

Age Distribution↗

Benign convulsion with mild gastroenteritis and benign familial infantile seizure.

The authors present Japanese siblings of a 6-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, who concurrently experienced convulsions with mild gastroenteritis. These siblings, their father and paternal grandfather had afebrile seizures that intermittently occurred without symptoms of gastroenteritis and terminated within a few days at their infancy. An underlying genetic factor might not only cause benign familial infantile seizures but it might also confer the susceptibility to the convulsions with mild gastroenteritis in these siblings.

Anticonvulsants↗

A gradient of acute gastroenteritis was characterized, to assess risk of long-term health sequelae after drinking bacterial-contaminated water.

OBJECTIVE: A municipal water system became contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter spp. Beginning 2 years after an outbreak, all residents from the region were invited to participate in a cohort study assessing the risk of long-term sequelae. We aimed to develop a method to grade the accuracy and severity of self-reported acute symptoms. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We corroborated participant survey responses with health records at the time of the outbreak. Of the 4,135 participants, 1,388 were asymptomatic during the outbreak, 1,752 had symptoms of acute self-limited gastroenteritis that could neither be confirmed nor refuted by prior health records, and 995 had symptoms that necessitated medical attention (and thus were confirmed by prior health records). RESULTS: The gradient related to the severity of acute symptoms. Compared to those with unconfirmed gastroenteritis, participants with confirmed gastroenteritis were more likely to describe fever, bloody diarrhea, and prolonged diarrhea (all P < .03). The gradient also correlated with long-term plausible outcomes, including chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, chronic symptoms of arthritis or depression, and the avoidance of municipal water ingestion after the outbreak (P for trend consistently < .03). Conversely, for the outcome of chronic tinnitus, an association was neither expected nor observed (P for trend = .26). CONCLUSION: We successfully characterized a gradient to be used in future primary analyses assessing the risk of long-term health sequelae after an outbreak.

Acute Disease↗

Hypoglycemia complicating dehydration in children with acute gastroenteritis.

A study was done to estimate the prevalence of hypoglycemia among children with dehydration due to acute gastroenteritis, and to identify clinical variables associated with hypoglycemia in these children. A retrospective case series of children older than 1 month of age and younger than 5 years of age who presented to an urban children's hospital Emergency Department with acute gastroenteritis and dehydration was performed. Medical records were reviewed; demographic and clinical data, including pretreatment serum glucose concentrations, were recorded. There were 196 children comprising the study population. Eighteen children (9.2%) were hypoglycemic. The duration of vomiting was longer for the children with hypoglycemia (2.6 days, SD +/- 1.5) than for those without hypoglycemia (1.6, SD +/- 1.8), 95% CI 0.13 to 1.88. Hypoglycemia may complicate dehydration due to acute gastroenteritis in young children. Clinicians should examine the serum glucose concentration in these children.

Acute Disease↗

An outbreak of adenovirus serotype 41 infection in infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in Maizuru City, Japan.

A total of 337 fecal specimens were collected from infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in Maizuru City, Japan from July 2004 to June 2005 and tested for the presence of rotavirus, norovirus, sapovirus, astrovirus, and adenovirus by RT-multiplex PCR. Among diarrheal viruses detected, norovirus was the most prevalent (13.6%, 46 of 337), followed by adenovirus (8%, 27 of 337), group A rotavirus (5%, 17 of 337), astrovirus (1.8%, 6 of 337), and sapovirus (1.8%, 6 of 337), respectively. Adenovirus was subjected to molecular genetic analysis by sequencing. Adenovirus detected in this study was classified into five serotypes, namely Ad1, Ad2, Ad3, Ad5, and Ad41. Of these, Ad41 was the most predominant serotype that accounted for 85.2% (23 of 27). It was noteworthy to point out that Ad41 infection was apparently confined only to the period of 4 months (October 2004 through January 2005). This pattern of infection implied the outbreak of Ad41 in these subjects, which was the first outbreak of acute gastroenteritis attributed to adenovirus in Maizuru City, Japan. Another interesting feature of the study was the existence of two Ad41 subtypes co-circulating in this outbreak. This report confirmed the presence of adenovirus as one of an important cause of acute gastroenteritis among Japanese infants and children.

Acute Disease↗

Hospitalisations for gastroenteritis: the role of rotavirus.

To determine the proportion of hospitalisations for gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus, we tested for rotavirus stool samples of all children under the age of five hospitalised for gastroenteritis between 1 December 1999 and 30 May 2000 in seven community and specialised hospitals in Quebec. Of 944 children hospitalised, 565 (59.9%) were screened for rotavirus and 405 (71.7%) tested positive. From December to April, the proportion of positive results rose from 51.6 to 78.1%. Compared with children whose test results were negative, children who tested positive presented vomiting more frequently upon admission (88.9 versus 60.4%) and needed IV fluids in greater proportion (94.1 versus 78.0%), but spent less time in hospital (2.8 versus 3.3 days). Aside from dehydration, no complications were noted. In Quebec, a large majority of winter and spring hospitalisations for gastroenteritis in children is attributable to rotavirus.

Child, Preschool↗

[Waterborne outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by Norovirus transmitted through drinking water].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to conduct an investigation into an outbreak of waterborne disease caused by Norovirus due to the consumption of contaminated drinking water. METHODS: The first week after the school summer holidays we detected an outbreak of gastroenteritis at a school in Borges Blanques (Lleida, Spain). A retrospective cohort study was carried out to investigate: water consumption and food (six items). We assessed RNA Norovirus by RT-PCR in 6 stool samples. The risk of gastroenteritis was assessed by applying adjusted risk ratio (RRa) analysis at 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The overall attack rate was 45% (96/213). The main symptoms were: abdominal pain, 88.4% (84/95); nausea, 65.9% (62/94), and vomiting, 64.6% (62/96). The consumption of school drinking water was statistically associated with the disease (RRa: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.3-6.2). The school water tank was dirty, but this drinking water was qualified as potable. Six stool samples gave positive results for Norovirus. CONCLUSIONS: Norovirus caused this waterborne outbreak of gastroenteritis transmitted through treated drinking water. It should be obligatory to regularly clean school drinking water deposit tanks, especially after the summer holidays.

Adolescent↗

Yersinia enterocolitica gastroenteritis: a prospective study of clinical, bacteriologic, and epidemiologic features.

A prospective study was performed to estimate the frequency of gastroenteritis due to Yersinia enterocolitica in Montreal children and their families. Evidence of bacterial infection was correlated with clinical features and serologic responses. YE was isolated from the stools of 181 (index cases) of 6,364 children with gastroenteritis over a 15-month period; Salmonella was isolated from 280 and Shigella from 68. Median ages were 24, 30, and 41 months, respectively. All but 18 YE isolates were biotype 4, serotype 0:3. YE was not found in the stools of 545 children without gastrointestinal symptoms. Clinical manifestations of the index cases with YE biotype 4, serotype 0:3 (n = 57) included diarrhea (98%), fever (88%), abdominal pain (64.5%), and vomiting (38.5%) with mean durations of 14, 3.9, 7.7, and 2.4 days, respectively. The duration of excretion of YE in the stool ranged from 14 to 97 days (mean 42). Spread of YE occurred in 27 of 57 families studied, involving 15 of 41 children and 19 of 117 adult contacts; approximately one-third of infected contacts developed diarrhea. Agglutination titers of greater than or equal to 200 were demonstrated in all index cases infected with serotype 0:3, with the exception of two very young infants. YE is a frequent cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Montreal children. The illness is characterized by persistent diarrhea and abdominal pain, prolonged YE excretion in the stools, and moderate communicability.

Adolescent↗

Effect of carbohydrate ingested on outcome in infants with mild gastroenteritis.

Children with mild acute gastroenteritis have not been observed for specific evidence of lactose intolerance yet are frequently fed a nonlactose formula. To determine whether such intervention is justified, 85 infants with mild acute gastroenteritis were followed prospectively. Infants were blindly and randomly assigned to 20 calorie/oz formula containing one of four carbohydrates: lactose, sucrose, polycose, or combined sucrose-polycose. Daily diaries were kept by parents, and patients were reexamined on days 2, 7, and 14 of the study. Evidence for rotavirus was detected in 23 infants, and five had bacterial pathogens. Symptoms resolved in most patients within 7 days, but five infants were subsequently hospitalized. Stool frequency, weight gain, and need for hospitalization did not differ significantly among the groups. Recovery from mild acute gastroenteritis occurred within 2 weeks irrespective of carbohydrate ingested.

Dietary Carbohydrates↗

Infantile gastroenteritis: a clinical study of reovirus-like agent infection.

In a clinical study of 32 infants with symptoms from infections with the human reovirus-like agent (R.I.A.) identified by electron microscopy (E.M.) of faecal extracts, a fairly consistent clinical pattern was found in 30 who had a gastroenteritis-like illness. The disease was usually mild, affecting mainly infants less than 2 years and males more commonly than females. The incubation period appeared to be 48-72 hours; and the onset was sudden, often with vomiting in the first 1-2 days of the illness. Loose yellow-green offensive stools without blood or mucus developed after a variable time, and there was often accompanying fever. Severe dehydration and electrolyte inbalance were uncommon; and with standard treatment the illness was uncomplicated, usually lasting 5-8 days. These features resemble those of previously reported winter epidemics of infantile non-bacterial gastroenteritis, and it is suggested that these epidemics were due to R.L.A. 2 infants in whom R.L.A. was identified in the stool did not have a gastroenteritis-like illness although both had protracted diarrhoea.

Age Factors↗

Clinical audit of ciprofloxacin use in adults admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis.

We audited the use of ciprofloxacin, before and after the introduction of simple clinical guidelines, in adults admitted to a regional infectious diseases unit with presumed gastroenteritis. The case notes of 128 consecutive adult admissions over 6 months in 1993 were reviewed and a comparable group of 125 adults in 1994 were prospectively followed. The discharge diagnosis was infective gastroenteritis in 73% of the 1993 admissions and 75% of the 1994 admissions, of whom 42% and 51% had confirmed bacterial enteropathogens. The 1994 cohort appeared to be more ill, with longer duration of symptoms prior to admission, more patients with profuse diarrhoea prior to admission, and longer mean duration of hospital stay. The proportion of patients with a discharge diagnosis of gastroenteritis who received ciprofloxacin did not change (64% in 1993, 67% in 1994) but the proportion of these patients who were subsequently found to be culture-positive rose from 54% to 68%. The proportion of patients receiving intravenous ciprofloxacin fell from 20% to 10% and the total number of doses (intravenous and oral) fell from 1027 in 1993 to 768 in 1994, with cost savings of pound 1465 over 6 months. The benefits and drawbacks of empirical use of ciprofloxacin are discussed. Our audit suggests that simple clinical guidelines can assist in identifying suitable patients for empirical antimicrobial therapy, and result in substantial cost savings.

Adult↗

Acute gastroenteritis associated with rotavirus in adults.

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus (RV) is an important cause of acute infectious diarrhea in children all over the world. In adults, RV infection tends to be subclinical; however, outbreaks of gastroenteritis have been reported in emergency situations and in closed communities. The aim of this study was to characterize electrophoretically and antigenically the strains of rotavirus that caused acute gastroenteritis in adults and correlate them with the clinical manifestations. METHODS: A laboratory-based survey was carried out in which fecal samples from 44 patients over 18 years of age with acute gastroenteritis were studied. Polyacrylamide gels electrophoresis and immunoenzymatic assay with specific antibodies to group A rotavirus, serotypes G1-4, P1A, and P1B were carried out on all the samples. RESULTS: Twenty-eight (63.63%) of the 44 samples were positive for group A rotavirus. Of these, 19 (68%) had long pattern and nine (32%) short pattern. Of all positive samples, 15 (54%) were serotype G1, seven (25%) were G2, two (7%) were G4, and four (14%) had no monoclonal reaction; all were serotype P1A. Among the patients with RV infection, 13 (46.4%) required hospitalization and the remaining 15 (53.6%) showed moderate symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The strains that infected the adults were electrophoretically and antigenically the same as those that infected infants in Mérida, Yucatán over the last 10 years. No relationship between the severity of the symptoms and any specific serotype was found.

Acute Disease↗

Outpatient rapid intravenous rehydration to correct dehydration and resolve vomiting in children with acute gastroenteritis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of outpatient rapid i.v. rehydration in correcting dehydration and resolving vomiting in children with mild to moderate dehydration resulting from acute gastroenteritis. METHODS: We carried out a prospective cohort study in an urban children's hospital. A convenience sample of 58 children aged 6 months to 13 years, with acute gastroenteritis and clinically estimated dehydration of 5% to 10% body weight, was assembled. All patients had been vomiting for less than 48 hours, had vomited at least five times in the 24 hours preceding presentation, and had metabolic acidosis (serum bicarbonate concentration, 18 mEq/L or less). Each patient received an i.v. infusion of 20 to 30 mL/kg isotonic crystalloid solution over 1 to 2 hours, followed by the oral administration of 1 to 3 ounces of clear fluid. Patients who subsequently vomited were admitted for continued i.v. fluid therapy. Patients who tolerated oral fluid were discharged; their caregivers were contacted by telephone 24 to 48 hours after discharge. RESULTS: All patients had improved hydration status after rapid i.v. rehydration. Sixteen patients (28%) did not tolerate oral fluids after rapid i.v. rehydration and were admitted; 11 of these patients had a serum bicarbonate concentration of 13 mEq/L or less. The other 42 patients (72%) tolerated oral fluids after rapid i.v. rehydration and were discharged; 41 of these patients had a serum bicarbonate concentration greater than 13 mEq/L. The frequency of serum bicarbonate concentration of 13 mEq/L or less on presentation was significantly greater (P = .001) in patients requiring hospitalization than in those discharged from the emergency department after rapid i.v. rehydration. Of 40 patients whose caregivers were contacted after discharge, 34 (85%) required no further medical evaluation or treatment for any reason, including inadequate hydration; 29 of these patients vomited no more than once. Six of the discharged patients (15%) required further medical evaluation and were admitted; four had recurrent vomiting and dehydration, two had not vomited but were dehydrated as a result of diarrheal fluid loss or inadequate oral fluid intake. CONCLUSION: Outpatient rapid i.v. rehydration is safe and effective in correcting dehydration and resolving vomiting in selected children with acute gastroenteritis and mild to moderate dehydration. In our study, most children who presented with a serum bicarbonate concentration greater than 13 mEq/L tolerated oral fluids after rapid i.v. rehydration and were further managed as outpatients without complications. By contrast, most children with a serum bicarbonate concentration of 13 mEq/L or less usually did not tolerate oral fluids after rapid i.v. rehydration and required more prolonged i.v. fluid therapy. All discharged patients, regardless of their serum bicarbonate concentration, demonstrated the ability to tolerate orally administered fluid.

Adolescent↗

[Waterborne outbreak of gastroenteritis transmitted through the public water supply].

INTRODUCTION: The chlorination of public water supplies has led researchers to largely discard drinking water as a potential source of gastroenteritis outbreaks. The aim of this study was to investigate an outbreak of waterborne disease associated with drinking water from public supplies. METHODS: A historical cohort study was carried out following notification of a gastroenteritis outbreak in Baqueira (Valle de Arán, Spain). We used systematic sampling to select 87 individuals staying at hotels and 67 staying in apartments in the target area. Information was gathered on four factors (consumption of water from the public water supply, sandwiches, water and food in the ski resorts) as well as on symptoms. We assessed residual chlorine in drinking water, analyzed samples of drinking water, and studied stool cultures from 4 patients. The risk associated with each water source and food type was assessed by means of relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The overall attack rate was 51.0% (76/149). The main symptoms were diarrhea 87.5%, abdominal pain 80.0%, nausea 50.7%, vomiting 30.3%, and fever 27.0%. The only factor associated with a statistically significant risk of disease was consumption of drinking water (RR = 11.0; 95% CI, 1.6-74.7). No residual chlorine was detected in the drinking water, which was judged acceptable. A problem associated with the location of the chlorinator was observed and corrected. We also recommended an increase in chlorine levels, which was followed by a reduction in the number of cases. The results of stool cultures of the four patients were negative for enterobacteria. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the potential importance of waterborne outbreaks of gastroenteritis transmitted through drinking water considered acceptable and suggests the need to improve microbiological research into these outbreaks (viruses and protozoa detection).

Disease Outbreaks↗

Acute abdominal pain and eosinophilia, two cases of eosinophilic gastroenteritis.

Two patients are presented who were admitted with acute abdominal pain for which they underwent laparotomy. No clear-cut diagnosis could be established during operation. Eventually, eosinophilic gastroenteritis was diagnosed and treated with corticosteroids. The heterogeneous presentation of eosinophilic gastroenteritis is discussed, ranging from mild non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms to an acute abdominal emergency prompting surgical intervention. The pathogenesis and treatment of eosinophilic gastroenteritis are discussed.

Abdomen, Acute↗

Clinical features of benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis.

The aim of this study is to reveal the detailed clinical features of benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis (CwG). We studied 114 consecutive episodes in 105 patients with CwG between January 1995 and March 2000. CwG was defined as when a patient met the following two conditions: (a) seizures accompanied the symptoms of gastroenteritis without clinical signs of dehydration or electrolyte derangement and (b) the body temperature remained less than 38.0 degrees C before and after the seizures. Patients with meningitis, encephalitis/encephalopathy or apparent history of epilepsy were excluded. The age of onset ranged from 8 to 52 months (mean, 21.1 +/- 8.4 months). Six patients (6%) had a family history of afebrile convulsions and seven (7%) had one of febrile convulsions. The average interval between the onset of gastroenteritis and that of seizures was 2.3 +/- 1.1 days (range, 1-6 days). The average number of seizures during a single episode was 2.6 +/- 1.5 (range, 1-7). Two or more seizures occurred in 86 (75%) of the 114 episodes. Seizures induced by pain and/or crying were seen in 35 (43%) of 82 episodes. Antiepileptic drugs were administered for 96 episodes. Seizures did not cease after the administration of one kind of antiepileptic drug in 56 episodes (58%). Epilepsy developed in none of the patients. All patients exhibited normal psychomotor development. CwG is characterized by a cluster of seizures that are sometimes induced by pain and/or crying. The seizures are rather refractory to antiepileptic treatment, although the seizure and development outcomes are good.

Age of Onset↗

[Eosinophilic gastroenteritis in a tropical area: report of a Congolese case].

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is an uncommon disease with an unknown natural history, and its relation to digestive allergies has not been confirmed. This study reports the case of a 27 year old patient who developed eosinophilic gastroenteritis with gastric, intestinal, rectal and peritoneal localisations. In the Congo, massive blood hypereosinophilia suggests digestive parasitosis and gastroenteritis with malnutrition and cutaneous symptoms suggest AIDS/HIV, making the present agnosis uncommon.

Abdominal Pain↗