Prévalence des antigènes d'adénovirus chez les enfants atteints de diarrhée aiguë

Viral diarrhoea remains a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. Four major categories of viruses are now recognized as clinically important, including rotavirus, astrovirus, adenovirus, and calicivirus. This retrospective epidemiological study was conducted in the East centre part of Tunisia. A total of 638 stool samples were collected from children under 5 years of age presenting with acute diarrhoea at hospitals the East centre part of Tunisia between October 2003 and September 2005. All samples were analyzed using commercially available immunoenzymatic assay (EIA) kits to detect specific adenovirus antigens. Samples positive for adenovirus antigen were further screened using an ELISA technique allowing specific detection of species F enteric adenovirus types 40 and 41. Adenovirus was detected in 6% of the stools tested using ELISA. Among stool samples testing positive for adenovirus, 57% (20/35) were found to contain species K adenovirus types 40/41. In addition to diarrhoea that was present in all children studied, vomiting and fever were observed in 89% and 53% respectively and were associated with respiratory troubles in 32%. Enteric adenoviruses appear to play an important role in paediatric diarrhoea in Tunisia. Use of simple effective viral diagnostic techniques in paediatric hospitals could improve patient care by reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics.