A 12-month study was carried out on the molecular epidemiology of rotavirus in urban and suburban Malaysian children. Analysis of faecal samples from 973 hospitalized diarrhoeic children by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis detected 268 rotaviruses (28%). All isolates were group A rotaviruses, which produced 22 electropherotypes: 16 (91.5%) with long RNA migration patterns and 6 (8.5%) with short patterns. One of the long-pattern electropherotypes was the predominant strain (71.1% of the total electropherotypes) isolated during this study. Although 3 other strains were detected sporadically over the study period, 16 others were present only during the first 7 months and 2 others were confined to the last 5 months. Long- and short-pattern electropherotypes were found to co-circulate extensively. There was a significant association of short-pattern electropherotypes with infection in older children. In addition, the prevalence of vomiting and mean duration of diarrhoea were significantly associated with different electropherotypes.
Plesiomonas shigelloides was isolated from 5 (2.1%) of the 234 children with diarrhoea and none of the 230 controls. In one child, the organism was found in association with Salmonella. Two strains had Shigella sonnei phase I antigen. All the strains were susceptible to the aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, chloramphenicol and cotrimoxazole; but resistant to the penicillins. Alkaline peptone water enrichment subcultured to desoxycholale citrate agar proved to be a useful method for isolating this organism from faeces. As the roie of P. shigelloides in causing gastrointestinal disease remains controversial, further studies are necessary to determine its enteropathogenicily.
Amongst 107 diarrheal cases studied a bacterial agent was isolated from 71 (66%) cases of which 60 (85%) were due to a single agent and the remaining 11 (15%) were of mixed infections. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) was isolated from 65 cases. Other pathogens isolated included Salmonella spp, Shigella spp and rotavirus. There was a higher isolation rate of ETEC from females and rotavirus from males. The infection rate was found to higher for the 0-2 year age group as compared to the 3-5 year age group. Amongst the ETEC isolated the STa 2 toxotype was the predominant type.
To describe the patterns of isolation of Aeromonas spp. and the resulting spectrum of infection, intestinal and extra-intestinal,from infants and children in an urban area in a hot and humid country from SoutheastAsia.