Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1982 Feb;15(2):212–215. doi: 10.1128/jcm.15.2.212-215.1982

Influence of humidity on rotavirus prevalence among Nigerian infants and young children with gastroenteritis.

M O Paul, E A Erinle
PMCID: PMC272062  PMID: 6279690

Abstract

Rotaviruses were detected by counterimmunoelectro-osmophoresis in the feces of 16 (13.8%) of 116 infants and young children with gastroenteritis during a 5-month period (September 1979 through January 1980) in Ife, Nigeria. The rate of rotavirus detection varied inversely with relative humidity and was highest in December (38.5% positive) when the humidity was lower. There was not such a distinct relationship with temperature or vapor pressure; and although the rate of rotavirus detection was higher in the drier months (November to January; 19.3% positive) than in the rainy season months (September and October; 8.5% positive), the average humidity was lower in the drier months than in the rainy months. Low relative humidity (49 to 78%) is apparently the most important environmental factor for rotavirus survival and spread in this area.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bishop R. F., Davidson G. P., Holmes I. H., Ruck B. J. Letter: Evidence for viral gastroenteritis. N Engl J Med. 1973 Nov 15;289(20):1096–1097. doi: 10.1056/nejm197311152892025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bryden A. S., Davies H. A., Hadley R. E., Flewett T. H. Rotavirus enteritis in the West Midlands during 1974. Lancet. 1975 Aug 9;2(7928):241–243. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(75)90959-9. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cameron D. J., Bishop R. F., Veenstra A. A., Barnes G. L. Noncultivable viruses and neonatal diarrhea: fifteen-month survey in a newborn special care nursery. J Clin Microbiol. 1978 Jul;8(1):93–98. doi: 10.1128/jcm.8.1.93-98.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cruickshank J. G., Zilberg G. Winter diarrhoea and rotaviruses in Rhodesia. S Afr Med J. 1976 Nov 6;50(47):1895–1896. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Davidson G. P., Bishop R. F., Townley R. R., Holmes I. H. Importance of a new virus in acute sporadic enteritis in children. Lancet. 1975 Feb 1;1(7901):242–246. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(75)91140-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dossetor J. F., Chrystie I. L., Totterdell B. M. Rotavirus gastro-enteritis in northern Nigeria. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1979;73(1):115–116. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(79)90144-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Echeverria P., Ho M. T., Blacklow N. R., Quinnan G., Portnoy B., Olson J. G., Conklin R., DuPont H. L., Cross J. H. Relative importance of viruses and bacteria in the etiology of pediatric diarrhea in Taiwan. J Infect Dis. 1977 Sep;136(3):383–390. doi: 10.1093/infdis/136.3.383. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Flewett T. H., Davies H., Bryden A. S., Robertson M. J. Diagnostic electron microscopy of faeces. II. Acute gastroenteritis associated with reovirus-like particles. J Clin Pathol. 1974 Aug;27(8):608–614. doi: 10.1136/jcp.27.8.608. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kapikian A. Z., Kim H. W., Wyatt R. G., Cline W. L., Arrobio J. O., Brandt C. D., Rodriguez W. J., Sack D. A., Chanock R. M., Parrott R. H. Human reovirus-like agent as the major pathogen associated with "winter" gastroenteritis in hospitalized infants and young children. N Engl J Med. 1976 Apr 29;294(18):965–972. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197604292941801. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kapikian A. Z., Kim H. W., Wyatt R. G., Rodriguez W. J., Ross S., Cline W. L., Parrott R. H., Chanock R. M. Reoviruslike agent in stools: association with infantile diarrhea and development of serologic tests. Science. 1974 Sep 20;185(4156):1049–1053. doi: 10.1126/science.185.4156.1049. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Konno T., Suzuki H., Imai A., Kutsuzawa T., Ishida N., Katsushima N., Sakamoto M., Kitaoka S., Tsuboi R., Adachi M. A long-term survey of rotavirus infection in Japanese children with acute gastroenteritis. J Infect Dis. 1978 Nov;138(5):569–576. doi: 10.1093/infdis/138.5.569. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Maiya P. P., Pereira S. M., Mathan M., Bhat P., Albert M. J., Baker S. J. Aetiology of acute gastroenteritis in infancy and early childhood in southern India. Arch Dis Child. 1977 Jun;52(6):482–485. doi: 10.1136/adc.52.6.482. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Matthews R. E. The classification and nomenclature of viruses. Summary of results of meetings of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses in The Hague, September 1978. Intervirology. 1979;11(3):133–135. doi: 10.1159/000149025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Middleton P. J., Petric M., Hewitt C. M., Szymanski M. T., Tam J. S. Counter-immunoelectro-osmophoresis for the detection of infantile gastroenteritis virus (orbi-group) antigen and antibody. J Clin Pathol. 1976 Mar;29(3):191–197. doi: 10.1136/jcp.29.3.191. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Middleton P. J., Szymanski M. T., Petric M. Viruses associated with acute gastroenteritis in young children. Am J Dis Child. 1977 Jul;131(7):733–737. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1977.02120200015004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rowland M. G., McCollum J. P. Malnutrition and gastroenteritis in The Gambia. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1977;71(3):199–203. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(77)90006-2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Spence L., Fauvel M., Petro R., Bloch S. Comparison of Counterimmunoelectrophoresis and electron microscopy for laboratory diagnosis of human reovirus-like agent-associated infantile gastroenteritis. J Clin Microbiol. 1977 Feb;5(2):248–249. doi: 10.1128/jcm.5.2.248-249.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Walker-Smith J. Rotavirus gastroenteritis. Arch Dis Child. 1978 May;53(5):355–362. doi: 10.1136/adc.53.5.355. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES