Abstract:
ntroduction The most frequent etiologies of viral gastroenteritis among young
children are rotavirus and enteric adenovirus. The clinical signs and symptoms of viral
gastroenteritis are not distinct enough to allow for diagnosis. For the diagnosis and
treatment of acute gastroenteritis, it is preferable to use quick, simple, and low-cost
procedures. This study was undertaken to determine efficacy of immune-chromatog raphy test (ICT) in comparison with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to
detect rotavirus and adenovirus antigen in fecal specimen among children less than
5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis.
Materials and Methods In a cross-sectional observational study, 314 fecal samples
were collected from children aged less than 5 years with acute gastroenteritis
attending or admitted to a tertiary care hospital during the 1 year study period.
Samples were tested for rotavirus and adenovirus antigen using ICT and ELISA.
Results Among the 314 children evaluated, 112 (35.66%) had rotavirus infection,
nine (2.86%) had adenovirus infection, and three (0.95%) had both rotavirus and
adenovirus infection. This study found that ICT is 98.20% sensitive and 100% specific for
the diagnosis of rotaviral diarrhea and 100% sensitive and 99.7% specific for adenovirus
diarrhea, compared to ELISA.
Conclusion Immunochromatography tests used for the detection of rotavirus and
adenovirus in the fecal sample showed a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. The
ICT is easy to perform and rapid, and it does not require any special equipment. Hence,
the ICT could be used as an alternative method for detecting viral pathogens in clinical
practice.
