Symptomatic and asymptomatic astrovirus infection was prospectively determined in a 3-year birth cohort of Mayan infants. Stool samples from 271 infants and 268 older siblings were tested for astrovirus, adenovirus 40/41, rotavirus and Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter species. Concurrent diarrhea, vomiting, fever, or anorexia were noted. Astrovirus was detected in 164 infants (61%) and 20...

Astroviruses are one of the leading causes of pediatric gastroenteritis worldwide and are clinically importantly pathogens in the elderly and immunocompromised populations. Although the use of cell culture systems and small animal models have enhanced our understanding of astrovirus infection and pathogenesis, little is known about the immune response to astrovirus infection. Studies from human...

Enteric diseases cause substantial economic losses to the poultry industry. Astroviruses, rotaviruses, reoviruses, and adenovirus type 1 have been reported as a significant cause of intestinal symptoms in poultry. In the present study, intestinal samples from 70 commercial broiler chicken flocks were examined for the presence of astroviruses, rotavirus, and reovirus by reverse transcription-pol...

A preliminary investigation was conducted to screen for astrovirus in Lagos. Two hundred and fifteen (215) faecal samples collected from children under 5 years old with diarrhoea (161) and without diarrhoea (54) admitted at paediatric clinics in Lagos State were studied. The stool specimens were examined for the presence of human astrovirus antigen using a monoclonal antibody-based ELISA (Astro...

This study examines the importance of astroviruses as a cause of acute diarrhea in hospitalized children <10 years old during a 5-year period. Stools were screened by electron microscopy and were tested for astrovirus, rotavirus, and enteric adenovirus by EIA. During the study, 14.6% of hospitalized children had diarrhea. Astroviruses were second only to rotaviruses as etiologic agents of both ...

Human astroviruses have been increasingly identified as important agents of diarrheal disease in children. However, the disease burden of astrovirus infection is still incompletely assessed. This paper reports results on the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of astrovirus-associated diarrhea, as well as the impact of astrovirus infection on the ambulatory setting at a Public Hospital...

Using an ORF1b-based astrovirus-specfic reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assay, a novel astrovirus-like was detected from domestic geese in China. Pairwise comparisons and phylogenetic analyzes suggested that a novel group of goose astrovirus, different with previously known astroviruses in the genus Avastrovirus, was found circulating in geese. This study has expanded our understanding about the...

Astrovirus infection in a variety of species results in an age-dependent diarrhea; however, the means by which astroviruses cause diarrhea remain unknown. Studies of astrovirus-infected humans and turkeys have demonstrated few histological changes and little inflammation during infection, suggesting that intestinal damage or an overzealous immune response is not the primary mediator of astrovir...

In a small astrovirus-associated outbreak of gastroenteritis in a ward of a local children's hospital two out of five children with symptoms excreted astrovirus particles. No astrovirus particles were found in faeces from the remaining asymptomatic child, and no other viral or bacterial pathogens were found in any of the children. Virus excretion persisted for only a few days. Rising antibody t...

Abstract Astrovirus infections cause gastroenteritis in mammals and have been identi fi ed as causative agents of diverse pathologies in birds such as hepatitis in ducks and poult enteritis mortality syndrome (PEMS), which causes enteritis and thymic and bursal atrophy in turkeys. Human astroviruses are recognized as the second leading cause of childhood viral gastroenteritis worldwide. Eight t...