ROTAVIRUS GROUP-A NOSOCOMIAL GASTROENTERITIS IN CHILDREN HOSPITALS

We evaluated the incidence of nosocomial rotavirus infections with regard to the genomic profile of the isolated strains. Between January 1989 and April 1990, we tested stool specimens from 725 children hospitalized in two paediatric wards of the Hopital Nord (CHU Saint-Etienne); a group A rotavirus strain was recovered in 159 patients, mainly during winter. After phenolic extraction of viral RNA, the genomic profiles were determined in silver-stained 7 % polyacrylamide gels. One hundred and thirty-three rotavirus strains from 128 patients (5 patients infected with two strains) were studied: 13 electrophoretypes of highly variable frequency (range: 1-35 strains) were identified. The number of nosocomial gastroenteritis was 18 % of the total number of rotavirus gastroenteritis; 26 of the 27 nosocomial infections between the two wards (13 % versus 43 %; p < 0.01) in probable relation with the higher frequency of symptomatic infections in younger children. The isolation of patients in single-bed rooms or the presence of a parent were not sufficient to prevent the emergence of nosocomial infections.