Rotavirus infection among children in Bombay.

From December 1984 to December 1986 samples of faeces were collected from 273 children and 50 adults suffering from acute diarrhea and from an equal number of control subjects. Presence of rotavirus was looked for by electron microscopy (EM), latex slide agglutination (LA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Of the 273 children 63 (23.0%) showed presence of rotavirus, with maximum incidence of 25.7% in 6 to 24 months age group. Out of 63 positive cases, 10 were associated with bacterial pathogens and 3 with protozoal--parasitic agents. In the remaining 50, rotavirus was the sole pathogen identified. Among the 273 age matched control children without diarrhoea only 3 (1.1%) showed presence of rotavirus. None of the adults showed presence of rotavirus. Rotavirus diarrhoea was more prevalent in cooler months of the year and in crowded houses. LA gave less number of positive results than ELISA but was cheaper and quicker. It is concluded that rotavirus is an important cause of infantile diarrhoea in Bombay.