S-109. Detection and molecular characterization of enteric adenoviruses among infants and children hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis

Acute gastroenteritis is a global health problem and major contributor to childhood morbidity and mortality. Among diarrhoeal viruses, rota virus is considered as major viral pathogen in causing pediatric diarrhoea.Recently,enteric adenoviruses have been reported to be associated globally in sporadic and outbreaks of gastroenteritis.The present study highlights the most prevalent strains of enteric adenoviruses detected among infants and children hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis in three different regions of Maharashtra state, India. A total of 332 fecal specimens were collected from Pune (n=51), Aurangabad (n=100) and Nagpur (n=181) cities and tested for detection of enteric adenoviruses. All the fecal specimens were tested for the presence of enteric adenoviruses by PCR using Hexon gene primers. Adenovirus positive samples were further subjected for molecular characterization by genotyping and phylogenetic analysis. The prevalence of adenoviruses was found to be 6% (3/51) in Pune, 7% (7/100) in Aurangabad,6.63%(12/181) in Nagpur.In the present study three major serotypes of adenovirus strains Ad41, Ad40 and Ad31 were detected. In Pune, adenovirus 40 (Ad40) was the predominant serotype while in Aurangabad it was adenovirus 41(Ad41).In contrast, in Nagpur, adenovirus 31(Ad31) was the major serotype detected. The study indicates existence of co-circulation and genetic diversity of different enteric adenovirus strains in three different regions in Maharashtra, India.