Frequency of Rotavirus Infection in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis in Jahrom, South of Iran

background: rotavirus is a major cause of acute diarrhea inchildren worldwide. it is an important cause of death amongyoung children in developing countries. the aim of this studywas to evaluate the prevalence of rotavirus infection in childrenless than five years old hospitalized for gastroenteritis in jahrom.methods: one hundred and two stool samples were collectedfrom children less than 5 years old hospitalized for acute diarrheaduring october 2006-february 2007 in motahary hospital,jahrom, south of iran. all samples were tested for rotavirusantigen by commercial enzyme linked immunoassays(elisa) and latex agglutination test.results: sixty nine stool samples (67.6%) were positive forboth elisa and latex agglutination. the mean age of the patientswas 14.38 months (range 2-60 months). there was nosignificant difference between the patients with positive andthose with negative tests for rotavirus in duration ofadmission, fever, vomiting, gender, and stool examination.thirty-three percent of the patients had abnormal increasedblood urea nitrogen that was normalized after hydration.conclusion: rotavirus was an important cause of acute gastroenteritisin young children less than 5 years old in our hospital.dehydration, azotemia, and electrolyte disturbanceswere the major problems in those patients.iran j med sci 2008; 33(2): 84-87.