Diagnosis of Causative Acute Childhood Viral Diarrhea by Multiplex Real-time PCR Among Children in a Referral Hospital, Tehran, Iran

Background: Viral gastroenteritis has significant public health implications and can greatly affect individuals' overall well-being. It spreads rapidly within communities, particularly among pediatric populations in settings like schools. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the most common viral causes of gastroenteritis in children aged one month to 18 years over a year in a referral tertiary children's hospital, highlighting the burden of the illness in this population. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, stool samples from children with viral gastroenteritis admitted to Mofid Children's Hospital were collected from January 2023 to October 2024. Total RNA extraction was performed following stool preparation. Detection of SARS-Cov-2, norovirus, sapovirus, rotavirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus was carried out using multiplex Real-Time PCR. Results: A total of 100 participants were included in this study, of which 62% were male and 38% female, with a mean age of 2.7 ± 3.44 years. Among all patients with diarrhea, 55.5% tested positive via PCR. Rotavirus was the most frequently detected virus, accounting for 43.6% of cases, followed by Norovirus and Adenovirus at 23.6%, Sapovirus and Coronavirus at 14.5%, and Astrovirus at 7.3%. Co-infection with two viruses was observed in 23.6% of patients, and 1.8% were co-infected with three viruses. Conclusions: This study highlights that gastroenteritis in young children has decreased in many countries following the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine. An important finding of this research is the prevalence of co-infection in pediatric patients, which should be taken into consideration by physicians.