Rotavirus prevalence and relationships with climatological factors in Gabon, Africa.

A one-year study of rotavirus prevalence was carried out using electron microscopy in Gabon, equatorial Africa. One hundred fifty-six nonhospitalized diarrheic children up to 10 years of age and 115 age-matched controls were investigated together with diarrheic adults and children over 10 years of age. Rotaviruses were observed only in diarrheic children under 10 years of age (10.2%). Rotaviruses were more prevalent in the dry-season months (19.2% versus 1.3%, P less than .001). Rotaviruses were the most commonly found among all the viral, bacterial, and parasitic agents we detected, with the exception of the coronaviruslike particles, which are the subject of another paper [Sitbon, 1985].