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Rotavirus infection as a frequent cause of neonatal fever
Author(s) -
Kang HaNa,
Park Hyun Kyung,
Lee HyunJu,
Moon JinHwa,
Oh Jae Won,
Kim ChangRyul
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/ped.13504
Subject(s) - medicine , diarrhea , rotavirus , vomiting , enterovirus , meningitis , lower respiratory tract infection , immunology , respiratory tract infections , gastroenterology , virus , pediatrics , respiratory system
Background Fever rather than diarrhea or vomiting was the most common symptom of neonatal rotavirus ( RV ) infection in our previous study. We investigated whether RV infection is a major cause of neonatal fever and compared the clinical characteristics of bacterial infection, viral infection and unknown causes of neonatal fever. Method We reviewed the electronic medical records of 48 newborns aged ≤28 days who were admitted to the Special Care Nursery of Hanyang University Guri Hospital for fever (≥38°C) from 2005 to 2009. All the newborns underwent complete blood count, urinalysis, C‐reactive protein, cultures of blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid as well as stool RV enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Respiratory virus polymerase chain reaction for cough or rhinorrhea, and stool culture for diarrhea were also done. Results All the babies were term, with mean age 13 ± 8 days and peak body temperature 38.5 ± 0.5°C. The causes of neonatal fever were viral (44%), bacterial (10%) and unknown (46%). The viral infections included RV ( n = 12), enterovirus ( n = 6), respiratory syncytial virus ( n = 2), and rhinovirus ( n = 1). All the rotavirus genotypes were G4P[6]. Only three of 12 RV ‐infected febrile newborns had diarrhea. The bacterial infections included three cases of urinary tract infection ( Escherichia coli , n = 2; Klebsiella pneumoniae , n = 1), and two cases of sepsis complicated with meningitis (all Streptococcus agalactiae ). Conclusions RV infection is the most common single cause of neonatal fever. It may be necessary to include stool RV tests for febrile newborns.