Prevalence of human astrovirus genotypes associated with acute gastroenteritis among children in Belém, Brazil.

Worldwide human astroviruses (HAstV) have increasingly been recognized as causative agents of viral gastroenteritis, mainly in infants and young children. The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiology and genotype diversity of HAstVs detected in children who participated in a trial in Belém, Brazil with the rhesus human reassortant rotavirus vaccine tetravalent (RRV-TV). From April/1990 to August/1992, 624 diarrheic stool samples were tested by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for HAstV, with a positive rate of 4.

Characterization of an astrovirus genotype 2 strain causing an extensive outbreak of gastroenteritis among Maxakali Indians, Southeast Brazil.

Background: Human astroviruses (HAstVs) are a common cause of sporadic diarrhea in children but large outbreaks occur in children's day care centers, schools and in homes for the elderly.

Objectives: To report a large outbreak of acute gastroenteritis that occurred in January 2004 among Indians from the Maxakali Reserve in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Study Design: Fecal samples from 46 Maxakali patients were collected and tested for a range of enteric pathogens.

Prevalence and genetic diversity of astroviruses in children with and without diarrhea in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil.

Human astroviruses (HAstV) have been increasingly identified as important etiological agents of acute gastroenteritis in children up to five years old. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and genotype diversity of HAstV in children with symptomatic and asymptomatic infections in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil. From June 1997 to July 1999 a total of 183 fecal samples 84 from symptomatic and 99 from asymptomatic children were tested by enzyme immunoassay for HAstV.