Prevalence of adenoviruses 40 and 41 in children less than five years suffering from acute gastroenteritis hospitalized in Ahvaz Abuzar Hospital

Introduction and objective: Gastroenteritis, the inflammation of stomach and intestine, is caused by a variety of microorganisms including viruses. Especially adenoviruses type 40 and 41 of group F adenoviruses are two etiologies of gastroenteritis in newborns and infants of less than five years old. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of ad40 and ad41 inducing gastroenteritis in children hospitalized in Ahvaz Abuzar Hospital, Iran, during October 2007-2008. Materials and methods: Fecal samples collected from the patients were tested first by an ELISA kit, specific for adenovirus detection. All samples including positive specimens by ELISA method were subjected to two rounds of PCR test. A specific pair of primers for adenoviruses 40 and 41 was applied PCR method. Results: Out of 280 fecal specimens collected from diarrheic children, 7(2.5%) were positive by ELISA test and 12 (4.3%) by PCR method. All of positive samples belonged to ad41. Conclusion: From group F of adenoviruses, adenovirus 41 is the major etiology of gastroenteritis in Ahvaz area.