Abstract:
Objective To investigate the pathogenic characteristics of enteric Adenovirus (AdV) and Astrovirus (AstV) in acute gastroenteritis (AGE) outbreaks in Chaoyang district, Beijing from 2018 to 2023.
Methods Fecal/rectal swab samples from AGE outbreaks in Chaoyang district from January 2018 to December 2023 were collected and the enteric AdV and AstV nucleic acids were detected by real-time PCR. Then RT-PCR or PCR was performed on the positive samples for target gene amplification and sequencing, followed by genotyping and evolutionary analysis of enteric AdV and AstV in the AGE outbreaks. The infection status and genotypes of enteric AdV and AstV were obtained, and the evolutionary analysis was conducted using MEGA 6.0 software.
Results Enteric AdV and AstV were detected in 18 and 23 outbreaks, accounting for 2.44% and 3.12% of the AGE outbreaks respectively. The outbreaks mainly occurred in kindergartens. The male-to-female ratio of cases was 1∶1 for enteric AdV and 1.7∶1 for AstV, with a median age of 4 (enteric AdV) and 5 (AstV) years. Sequencing was successfully completed for 11 (enteric AdV) and 16 (AstV) positive outbreaks. The evolutionary analysis revealed that all of the enteric AdV belonged to AdV41 type and AstV constituted by HAstV-1 (75.00%), HAstV-2 (6.25%), HAstV-3 (6.25%), and HAstV-5 (12.50%).
Conclusion This study provided a systematic analysis of the pathogenic characteristics of enteric AdV and AstV in AGE outbreaks in Chaoyang district, Beijing from 2018 to 2023. The predominant circulating genotypes were AdV41 and HAstV-1, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring of the pathogenic characteristics in acute gastroenteritis outbreaks.