Serological diagnosis of Enterovirus by ELISA technique among children with diarrhea in Mosul city, Iraq

Aims: Globally, diarrheal diseases are the second leading cause of childhood mortality after pneumonia.Around the world, human enterovirus is a significant contributor to children's diarrhea.However, no data about Iraq's enterovirus (EV) infection frequency is available.This study evaluates the prevalence of EV in children with diarrhea and identifies the disease's risk factors. Methodology and results:A cross-sectional study was conducted for 120 children under five years of age with diarrhea of both sexes.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess the presence of human enterovirus antigens.The EV antigen was detected in 16(13.33%)stool samples from 120 children with diarrhea.Females were infected at a higher rate than males 8/67(15.09%) vs. 8/53(11.94%)and high infection was detected in the age group of 5 months at the rate of 11/54(20.37%).Furthermore, the results showed that the ratio of diarrhea infections caused by EV was higher in children of complete formula feeding 8/34(23.53%)than in breastfeeding 2/35 (5.71%).Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Our study indicates that EV plays a significant role in the incidence of diarrhea in children under five years of age and that demographic factors are associated with EV infection.