Astrovirus acute gastroenteritis among children in Madrid, Spain.

Background: Human astroviruses cause infantile gastroenteritis worldwide, but the prevalence of disease varies greatly by setting. Since 1997 we have conducted a survey to determine the causes of diarrhea among Spanish children attending an emergency room in Madrid and to characterize the clinical features of viral-associated gastroenteritis.

Objectives: To define the epidemiologic role of astrovirus-associated gastroenteritis in Spanish children, to review its clinical features and to compare these illnesses with those caused by rotavirus.