Detection of Adnovirus in children less than 5 years old with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) from Bogota, Colombia

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) has a great impact on children less than five years of age, producing high levels of morbidity and mortality. Worldwide, AGE is mainly related to viruses, mainly rotavirus but human adenovirus (HAdV) in particular as an important etiologic agent. Among HAdV species F, genotypes 40 and 41 are responsible for a high number of diarrhea cases, mainly in children under 2 years of age. Two hundred and fifty four fecal samples were analyzed using conventional PCR to detect and characterize enteric HAdV in children less than five years diagnosed with AGE and recruited between 2012 and 2013 through the Sentinel Surveillance Program from Bogota DC, Colombia. Fourteen samples (5.51%) were positive for HAdV. Species-specific detection showed one HAdV-A sample, four HAdV-B samples, two HAdV-D samples, two HAdV-E samples, and five HAdV-F samples. HAdV-F samples were subjected to conventional PCR in order to identify genotypes 40 and 41. All HAdV-F samples were genotype 40, except for one sample coinfected with both genotypes (40 and 41). Our results show that enteric HAdV are important agents in the etiology of AGE in children less than 5 years old. Moreover, the species-specific PCR analysis demonstrated that species other than HAdV- F which are tightly associated with respiratory tract disease, could infect and produce gastrointestinal tract disorders.